BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It didn't look good for most of the first game of the Geneva College softball team's doubleheader with Bethany on Friday afternoon, but a big rally in the bottom of the seventh, capped off by a walk-off two-run double by senior Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley), led to a doubleheader sweep for the Golden Tornadoes.  Geneva won the first game in comeback fashion, 7-6, and the Golden Tornadoes carried that momentum into game two and won more comfortably, 8-4.  Geneva improved to 4-2, while Bethany fell to 2-4.

Bethany scored once in the first and added two more runs in the third off sophomore starting pitcher Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Cali/Yucca Valley).  Junior Sarah Johnson's (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) triple in the bottom of the third drove in sophomore Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) to get Geneva on the board.  The Golden Tornadoes looked to be on the cusp of a big inning after sophomore Hannah Raygor (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) followed with a walk and a stolen base to give Geneva runners at second and third with no outs and the heart of the lineup coming up.  Unfortunately, the next three batters were all retired on infield pop-ups to keep the score at 3-1.

Bethany added to their lead with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, and despite Geneva scoring single runs in each of those same innings, the Golden Tornadoes trailed 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh.

Raygor opened the inning with a double, and after the Bison recorded an out, a key Bethany error gave Geneva an extra out, scoring Raygor.  Junior Madison Smith (Joshua Tree, Cali./Yucca Valley) followed with a walk to put two Golden Tornadoes on.  Senior Madison Schultz (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) followed with a double to left to pull Geneva to within 6-5, and Ward's double to left-center brought home both Smith and Schultz for the walk-off win.

Haley Smith was the benefactor of the late rally, giving her the win after she battled through a complete-game effort, giving up 12 hits and four earned runs while striking out six.  She moved to 2-1 on the season.

Ward led the offense with a 3-for-4 effort with two doubles and two RBIs, including the walk-off winner.  Schultz finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI.  Raygor finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run, while sophomore Peri Ceasri (El Dorado Hills, Cali./Vista Del Lago) added two RBIs.

Geneva opened the second game much better, scoring three times after a scoreless top of the first inning from junior starting pitcher Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh).  Johnson got on courtesy of a three-base Bison error.  She would later steal home on a double steal with Ward.  Ceasri picked up an RBI-single to drive home Ward, and West later scored on another Bethany error.

Bethany plated its first run against West in the top of the fourth, but Geneva responded immediately in the bottom of the inning, powered by a three-run home run off the bat of Ceasri to straight away center.  The home run scored both Forsythe and Raygor, who reached on walks, increasing the Geneva lead to 6-1.

Ward came through for Geneva in the following inning with a two-run, two-out double to left, extending the Golden Tornado lead to 8-1.

Bethany took advantage of a two-out Geneva error in the top of the sixth to score twice, knocking West out of the game in the process.  Haley Smith relieved West and got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout, and Smith finished off the save in the seventh.  The final score was 8-4.

West put together a strong outing in the circle, going 5.2 innings while giving up just six hits and one earned run, while striking out two.  The win moved West to 2-1 on the year, while Smith picked up her first save of the season.

Ceasri led the offense with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate, including the home run, while driving in four runners.  Johnson finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases.  Forsythe went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Schultz also picked up two hits.  Ward finished 1-for-3 with a run, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

"I'm not sure in many ways we really deserved to win the first game," said Head Coach Van Zanic.  "However, our offense came alive just in time to recover from what was otherwise a less than acceptable performance in game one.  We took some of that momentum into the second game and we were able to add on some runs to get into a comfortable position.  We are getting solid contributions from a lot of different people, but specifically Kyleigh Jo (Ward), Hannah (Raygor), Maddy (Forsythe) and Peri (Ceasri) came up big today."

Geneva has a short turnaround before it travels to Grove City tomorrow afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.  The Golden Tornadoes return home for a doubleheader next Tuesday with Waynesburg, beginning at 3:00 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 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.