BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team opened a four-game series with Chatham on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader, and after squandering an early lead in a 10-5 loss in game one, the Golden Tornadoes responded with a 6-5 victory in game two.  Only the first game counted in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) standings.  Geneva is now 6-11 overall, 4-9 in the PAC, while Chatham is 4-10 overall, 3-7 in the PAC.

Junior Marshall Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler) took the ball in game one and came out strong, cruising through the early innings.  Geneva scored a run in the first on a sacrifice fly from freshman Donald Dungee (Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown) and added a second run in the third on another sacrifice fly, this one from sophomore Gabriel Morales (Homestead, Fla./South Dade).  The Golden Tornadoes looked to be in good shape when they scored two more runs in the fourth on a two-out, two-RBI single from sophomore Abram King (Washington, Pa./Trinity).

Wheeler ran into trouble in the sixth.  After giving up just three hits in the first five innings, Wheeler retired the first batter and then the next five Cougars reached base on four hits and a walk.  At the end of the inning, Chatham had tied up the game, 4-4.

Chatham took its first lead of the game in the top of the seventh, scoring a run to go ahead 5-4.  Morales tied the game back up in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI-double.  Then things fell apart in the top of the eighth.

Sophomore Austin Smith (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) relieved Wheeler and his defense immediately let him down.  The Golden Tornadoes committed three errors in the frame, leading to five unearned runs for Chatham.  Geneva never recovered and lost 10-5.

Smith took the loss in relief, while Wheeler struck out eight in his seven innings of work.  King and Morales each finished with two hits and two RBIs, while senior Tyler Seliga (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) added two hits and scored two runs.

The second game was the lone non-conference game in the four-game series, allowing both teams to play a number of reserves.  Freshman Joshua Kearns (Akron, Ohio/Woodridge) took the ball in the second game and produced a strong outing.  Geneva gave him an early lead with two runs in the second courtesy of two walks, a hit batter and a single from freshman Jackson Hall (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton).

The Golden Tornadoes doubled their lead in the third without the aid of a hit.  Three walks and a Cougar error led to the two runs.

A Geneva error allowed Chatham to score its first run of the game in the top of the fifth, but the Golden Tornadoes added two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI-double from freshman Jesen Montanez (Homestead, Fla./Keys Gate Charter) and an RBI-single from freshman David Toruno (Menifee, Cali./Paloma Valley), extending Geneva's lead to 6-1. 

Chatham didn't go away quietly in the top of the seventh, though.  The Cougars knocked Kearns out of the game and did further damage against the Golden Tornado bullpen to the tune of four runs.  Finally, Dungee emerged from the bullpen and got the final two outs with the tying run on base to close out the win, 6-5, in seven innings.

Kearns ended up with the win, pitching six inning and giving up seven hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out five, moving his record to 3-0 on the year.  Dungee earned the save in his first appearance of the season.

Geneva managed just four hits in the game, but the Cougars issues seven walks and a hit batter to help the Golden Tornadoes' offense.  Freshman Cameron Tyson (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) walked twice and scored two runs to lead the offense.

Geneva completes the four-game series with a road doubleheader at Chatham tomorrow, beginning at 2:00 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).