MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Geneva College baseball team got off to a rough start to its Spring Break on Saturday as the Golden Tornadoes failed to generate much offense in dropping both games of a doubleheader to Hilbert by scores of 3-1 and 10-4.  Geneva dropped to 2-2 on the season, while Hilbert improved to 6-5.

The first game of the day represented several missed opportunities for the Geneva offense.  The Golden Tornadoes got their first two men on in each of the first three innings, including a first-and-third opportunity in the top of the third inning, but each time Geneva failed to plate any runs.

Junior Dylan O'Rourke (Hutchinson, Pa./Yough) got the start on the mound, and he proved effective early on.  Hilbert was able to push across two two-out runs in the bottom of the third to give the Hawks an early lead.  Hilbert added another two-out run in the bottom of the fifth, giving the Hawks a 3-0 lead.

Freshmen Austin Petraglia (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) and Jarrett Orbin (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) opened the top of the seventh with back-to-back doubles to finally get the Golden Tornadoes on the board.  Freshman Gabriel Morales (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) followed with a walk, and it appeared Geneva might be in business with an opportunity for a late rally, but the next three Golden Tornadoes were retired, giving Geneva its first loss of the season, 3-1.

O'Rouke pitched 5.2 innings and gave up five hits and three runs while striking out five, with the loss dropping his record to 1-1.  Petraglia led the offense with a 2-for-2 effort, with a run and a walk.  Geneva managed just five hits in the game.

Sophomore Marshall Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler) got the start for Geneva in the second game, and things got off to a rough start in the top of the first.  The first five Hilbert batters got hits, which resulted in four runs, before Wheeler settled down and prevented any further damage.  

The Hawks added to their lead with two runs in the top of the second and another run in the top of the third, all against Geneva relief pitchers.

The Golden Tornadoes finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out rally.  Morales doubled and scored on a single by freshman Alex McKay (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton).  Geneva had an opportunity for more, but the Golden Tornadoes stranded two runners in scoring position.

Hilbert added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to put the game away.  Morales scored on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth, and Orbin's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh scored two more Golden Tornadoes to complete the scoring, with Hilbert winning game two, 10-4.

Wheeler picked up his first loss of the season on the mound.  Sophomore pitcher Aaron Erimias (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) went four innings in relief, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out four.  Orbin went 2-for-2 at the plate, with two RBIs.  Morales also finished with two hits, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

"We looked like a team that had been sitting on a bus all day yesterday and didn't get in until last night," said Head Coach Alan Sumner.  "I thought Dylan gave us a good outing the first game, and we had plenty of opportunities to give him some support offensively, but we could never come up with the big hit.  Then in the second game, we fell behind early and just could never catch up.  We'll head the rest of the way to Florida tonight and then will take tomorrow off, and hopefully we'll be a little fresher for the rest of our games starting on Monday."

Geneva will head to Florida tonight where the Golden Tornadoes will play seven times next week, starting with a single game against Dominican at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.


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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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.