PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team's offense couldn't get anything going in game one of a doubleheader at Chatham on Saturday afternoon, dropping the first game 9-2.  Apparently, the Golden Tornadoes were saving their offense for game two, as Geneva exploded for a season-high 14 runs in a 14-5 victory that split the doubleheader.  Geneva's record is now 7-12 overall, 5-10 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Chatham is 5-11, 4-8 in the PAC.

Senior Dylan O'Rourke (Hutchinson, Pa./Yough) took the ball in game one, and after a scoreless first inning, Chatham struck for three runs.  The first five batters reached base on three singles, a hit batter and a Geneva error. 

The Cougars did even better in the third, scoring four times as six of the first seven batters reached base on four singles, a double, a walk and a hit batter.  That put the Golden Tornadoes in a big hole, 7-0.

Meanwhile, Chatham starting pitcher Austin Andonisio made life difficult on the Geneva batters, not allowing the Golden Tornadoes to generate any offense until the seventh.  By that time the Cougars led 9-0, and it was sophomore Gabriel Morales' (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) two-run single that prevented the shutout.

O'Rourke took the loss, going 3.2 innings while giving up 10 hits and seven runs (five earned), while striking out three.  Geneva managed just six hits, with Morales accounting for half of those hits with a 3-for-4 effort.

Game two started much better for the Golden Tornadoes' offense.  Morales and senior Tyler Seliga (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) opened the game with back-to-back singles, and two walks and a Chatham error helped Geneva scored twice in the first inning.

The Golden Tornadoes returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, as Chatham used a walk, an error and a single to tie the score at 2-2 off sophomore starter Timothy Munz (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic).

Geneva retook the lead in the top of the fourth, with Morales and Seliga using a walk and a single to start the rally.  After two were retired, sophomore Alex McKay (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton) tripled home both runners to restore Geneva's two-run lead.  A leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning led to another run for Chatham, narrowing the Golden Tornadoes' lead to 4-3.

Geneva's offense got going again in the top of the sixth, scoring three times despite the first two batters being retired.  Sophomore Abram King (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and senior Garrison Wieland (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) started the two-out rally with back-to-back doubles.  McKay followed with an RBI-single, and sophomore Alex Fee (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) joined the hit parade with an RBI-double.

The Golden Tornadoes broke the game wide-open in the top of the eighth, scoring seven times, their biggest offensive inning of the season.  Junior Adrian Tapia (Homestead, Fla./Keys Gate Charter) doubled twice in the inning, Morales added an RBI-triple, and Wieland finished off the scoring with a two-run home run.  In total, Geneva hit for the cycle in the inning, finishing with five singles, two doubles, a triple and a home run.  That inning extended the Golden Tornado lead to 14-4, and Geneva closed out the win, 14-5.

Munz earned the win to even his season record at 2-2.  He pitched 7.2 inning and allowed seven hits and four runs, while striking out six.

Offensively, the Golden Tornadoes not only finished with a season high in runs, but their 20 hits also were the most this season.  Every starter but one finished with a hit, led by Seliga's 4-for-6 effort.  Seliga also scored three times.  McKay, Fee and Tapia each added three hits, and Morales, King and Wieland finished with two hits apiece.  McKay had a team-high four RBIs, as all but one starter had at least one RBI.

"These two games couldn't have been much different," said Head Coach Alan Sumner.  "We couldn't do much of anything offensively in the first game, and then our bats really came alive in game two.  That was a really important game because we didn't want to get swept in the three conference games with Chatham.  Munz put forth a really good performance on the mound for us as well."

Next week Geneva opens a four-game series with Saint Vincent, beginning with a doubleheader in Latrobe on Friday, beginning at 1:00 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 has one of the top 100 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).