BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Weeks don't come much better than the one sophomore Marina Manuppelli (Mars, Pa./Mars) has had for the Geneva College softball team.  A day after going 6-for-7 with seven RBIs in a sweep over Washington & Jefferson, Manuppelli had another big day against Carnegie Mellon on Wednesday.  She hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the first game of the day, 5-4, and her strong day continued in game two as Geneva won more comfortably, 7-2.  Geneva moved its record over .500 at 16-14, while Carnegie Mellon fell to 9-19.

In game one, Geneva jumped ahead on an RBI-single by freshman Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead.  However, Geneva's offense went silent over the next five innings.

Carnegie Mellon took the lead with two runs in the top of the third off sophomore starter Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing), and the Tartans added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings off the Geneva bullpen to take a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Despite picking up just two singles over the previous five innings, the Geneva offense came alive in the final inning.  Junior April Lude (Canfield, Ohio/Western Reserve) delivered an RBI-single to drive in one run, cutting the Geneva deficit to 4-2 with runners at first and second.  Manuppelli then drove the second pitch she saw over the left field fence for a dramatic two-out three-run home run to win the game, 5-4.

Freshman Paige Hollinger (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) was the fortunate recipient of the late Geneva offense, picking up her second win of the season in relief.  Manuppelli finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the offense.  Freshman Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) also went 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base, while West added two hits and an RBI.

Game two proved to be a less dramatic affair for the Golden Tornadoes.  Junior Bobbi Ann Theiss (East Liverpool, Ohio/Beaver Local) entered the circle, and her strong pitching continued.

Geneva scored three times in the first inning.  West drove in one run with an RBI-single.  The Golden Tornadoes then added two more runs when Lude singled, and as she tried to take second on the throw home, the pitcher cut the ball off and threw back to second to cut down Lude, but instead the throw ended up in right-center field, allowing both West and Lude to come around to score.

Carnegie Mellon got one run back in the top of the second, but the Geneva offense continued to score runs.  Johnson drove in a run in the fourth with a single, Manuppelli drove a ball into the gap for an RBI-double in the fifth, and Johnson and West both added RBIs in the sixth to make it 7-1.  Theiss gave up one run in the top of the seventh, but finished out the victory, 7-2.

With the win, Theiss moved her record to 7-1 on the season.  Senior Haley Sainato (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) set the table for the Geneva offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two stolen bases.  West also finished 3-for-4, with two runs and two RBIs.  Manuppelli went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Johnson finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

"It was fun to watch a once in a lifetime moment for Marina in the first game," said Head Coach Van Zanic.  "We really didn't deserve to win that game, but I was very happy with the way we battled back.  The second game was a complete victory with quality at-bats and another solid effort in the circle from Bobbi Ann.  The break comes at a good time and hopefully we won't lose momentum heading into a very big week."

The Golden Tornadoes will be off this weekend during Easter break.  Geneva will return to the diamond with a road doubleheader at Waynesburg on Monday starting at 3:30 p.m.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.