BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College softball team got off to a great start on Friday afternoon in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament.  Hosting the PAC Tournament as the top seed for the first time since joining the conference ten years ago, the Golden Tornadoes defeated Grove City 9-0 in their only game of the day, moving into the winners bracket of the double elimination tournament.  The victory was Geneva's first in the PAC Tournament since 2014, and the win improved the Golden Tornadoes' record to 34-5.

The day didn't start all that well when it came to the weather, with the temperatures hovering in the low-40s most of the morning, along with a fairly steady rain.  The tournament was scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m., with four games on the schedule, but because of the weather, the first game of the tournament didn't start until 1:30 p.m. and just three games were able to be played. 

Geneva finally took the field for its game around 3:30 p.m., and the weather seemed to be pleased to see the Golden Tornadoes on the field, with the clouds breaking up and the sun shining through for the first time all day.  Geneva did its part to make the home fans happy as well.

Sophomore Haley Smith got the start in the circle, and she worked around a leadoff single to keep the Wolverines off the board in the first inning.

Junior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) got the Geneva offense going with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning.  Sophomore Hannah Raygor (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) walked with one out, and senior Marina Manuppelli (Mars, Pa./Mars) walked with two outs to load the bases.  Junior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) then followed with a two-run single up the middle to give Geneva the early lead.

The Golden Tornadoes added a run in the third inning when Johnson's deep fly ball just eluded the glove of Grove City's centerfielder, and the ball rolled all the way to the wall, allowing Johnson to circle the bases and narrowly avoid a tag at the plate for an inside-the-park home run.

Smith continued to cruise along in the circle, and Geneva broke the game open with six runs in the bottom of the third inning.  Raygor led off with a single, and sophomore Peri Ceasri (El Dororado Hills, Cali./Vista Del Lago) doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs.  Manuppelli then followed with an RBI-double to drive in both Raygor and Ceasri.  Later in the inning, senior Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing) drove two in with a single, and after a walk by Johnson, sophomore Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) doubled to bring home both Ward and Johnson.  That gave Geneva a 9-0 lead.

Smith took care of the rest, finishing out the game in five innings to give the Golden Tornadoes the quick victory.  She gave up just two hits and one walk, while striking out two.

Johnson led the offense, going 1-for-1 with the home run, along with two walks, three runs, an RBI and a stolen base.  In fact, eight of the nine Geneva starters each recorded a hit.  Forsythe, Manuppelli, West and Ward all finished with two RBIs apiece, while Raygor scored twice in a very balanced offensive attack.

"We were fortunate to get three games in today, with the way the weather was for the first half of the day," said Head Coach Van Zanic.  "To be able to play at a high level right out of the gate is encouraging.  Obviously, we have a big challenge ahead of us tomorrow against two really good teams, so we need to continue to be at our best if we want a chance to win this thing."

In the first game of the day on Friday, #3 Bethany upset #2 Westminster 5-2, meaning Geneva will face off against Bethany in the first game of the day Saturday, scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m.  In the final game of the day on Friday, Westminster eliminated Grove City 11-0, so the loser of tomorrow's first game will face the Titans in an elimination game.  The winner of the first game tomorrow advances to the championship game later in the day, awaiting the winner of the elimination game scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  The winner of the elimination game will have to defeat the winner of the first game of the day twice.  If there is a second game needed in the championship round, it is not yet determined whether that game would be played Saturday evening or on Monday afternoon.


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).