BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Washington & Jefferson arrived to town on Saturday afternoon to take on the Geneva College baseball team with a sparkling 12-0 record on the season, and the Presidents pitching proved to be the stars of the day as W&J shut down the Golden Tornado offense in sweeping Geneva by scores of 8-0 and 11-2. W&J improved its record to 14-0, 11-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Geneva dropped to 5-8 overall, 4-7 in the PAC.
W&J got to sophomore starting pitcher
Timothy Munz (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) in the top of the first inning, though Geneva's defense certainly didn't help Munz out. The Presidents scored four times, with Geneva committing three errors in the inning, all on plays on the basepaths.
Two more Geneva errors led to two more W&J runs in the top of the third. Freshman
Donald Dungee (Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown) was the first Golden Tornado to reach base after he singled in the bottom of the inning off W&J starter Henry Litman.
Another Golden Tornado error in the top of the fifth led to two more unearned runs for the Presidents. Geneva's best chance to score came in the bottom of the sixth when, with one out sophomore
Abram King (Washington, Pa./Trinity) singled, followed by a double from senior
Garrison Wieland (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville), but back-to-back Geneva strikeouts ended the threat. Litman then finished off the seven-inning, complete-game shutout, 8-0.
Munz took the loss, moving to 1-2 on the year, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up five hits and six runs (four earned) while walking four and striking out three.
In game two, W&J struck first in the top of the second against junior starter
Marshall Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler). The first four batters singled, and combined with two walks and a hit batter, the Presidents finished the inning with five runs.
W&J scored two runs in the top of the fifth, knocking out Wheeler in the process. The Presidents added three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, while Geneva's offense struggled against W&J starter Tyler Horvat. The Golden Tornadoes didn't manage a hit until King homered to left field to start the seventh inning. Geneva added a run in the bottom of the ninth when Dungee's double drove in King, with Geneva losing 11-2.
Wheeler took the loss, moving to 1-2, and his command gave him trouble at times on the afternoon. He pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five hits, seven runs and six walks, while striking out four. King led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort, including the home run.
Geneva finishes the four-game series with the Presidents on Monday at W&J. The first game begins at 2:30 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 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).
