WASHINGTON, Pa. – If you haven't been paying attention to what the Geneva College softball team has been doing over the past three weeks, it's time to take a look.  The Golden Tornadoes extended their winning streak to 13 games on Monday afternoon, two shy of the school record, with two dominating wins at W&J.  Geneva won the first game 9-4 and followed that up with a 9-0 win in five innings in game two.  The Golden Tornadoes are now 17-3 overall, while W&J dropped to 8-7-1.

Junior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) got the offense going in the first inning of game one with a leadoff double, and she came around to score the game's first run on a W&J error.

The Presidents tied the game up in the bottom of the second against junior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh), who was fresh off being named the PAC Softball Pitcher of the Week earlier in the day.  W&J opened the inning with three straight singles to plate a runner, but West worked herself out of the inning without allowing further damage.

Geneva got the offense going again in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with one out.  West came home to score on a sacrifice fly from senior Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley), and junior Madison Smith (Joshua Tree, Cali./Yucca Valley) came home to score on a single from Johnson to make it 3-1.  The Golden Tornadoes took advantage of another President error to add an additional run in the top of the fifth.

Geneva put together its best inning of the game in the top of the sixth, scoring three times to take a 7-1 lead.  Ward and Johnson opened the inning with singles, and sophomore Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) doubled to drive in Ward, with Johnson also scoring on the play when the W&J relay throw got away from the catcher.  Forsythe later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Peri Ceasri (El Dorado Hills, Cali./Vista Del Lago), making it 7-1.

The Presidents would respond in the bottom of the sixth with their best inning as well, matching Geneva's total with three runs of their own off West.

The Golden Tornadoes responded with two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.  Johnson drove home Smith with a sacrifice fly, and senior Madison Schultz (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) later scored on another President error to extend Geneva's lead to 9-4.  Sophomore pitcher Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Cali./Yucca Valley) closed out the win with a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

West moved her record to 8-1 on the season, pitching 6.0 innings while giving up seven hits and four runs, striking out three.  Johnson led the offense with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, scoring twice and driving in two runs.  Madison Smith also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Haley Smith took the circle in game two, and the Geneva offense gave her three runs of immediate support in the top of the first.  Johnson was a catalyst again, starting the inning with a single.  Ceasri and senior Marina Manuppelli each delivered RBI-hits later in the inning.  It would prove to be all the support Smith would need, as the sophomore starter cruised through the first four innings.

The Golden Tornadoes broke the game open in the top of the fifth.  Geneva scored six times in the frame, with the first six batters reaching base.  W&J's pitching helped the Golden Tornado cause with four walks and a hit batter in the inning.  Schultz had a two-run double, and sophomore Hannah Raygor (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley), Madison Smith, Forsythe and West all delivered RBIs as well, giving Geneva a 9-0 lead, and the Golden Tornadoes closed out the game in the bottom of the inning with the mercy rule ending the game.

Haley Smith earned the complete-game shutout, pitching all five innings while giving up just two hits and one walk, striking out two.  Her record is now 8-2.

Ceasri led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort, scoring twice and driving in a runner.  Johnson reached base three times, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.  After going 5-for-7 today, Johnson moved her batting average over .500 at .507, tops in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  Schultz also reached base three times, finishing 1-for-1 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a double, a run scored and two RBIs.

"We have talked a lot this year about playing solid defense and how that helps the pitching staff," said Head Coach Van Zanic.  "We have played extremely well on defense in recent games and with the way our pitchers are throwing, everything is clicking well.  I'm really proud of the way this team continues to work hard in all areas of the game.  This is a special group."

Geneva has now wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule, having played each of the other nine teams in the PAC twice.  The Golden Tornadoes officially open conference play with a home doubleheader against Franciscan scheduled for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.  There is a chance of rain in the forecast for that afternoon, so those games could get moved.


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.