BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – In what has proven to be an historic season in unprecedented times for the Geneva College softball team, the Golden Tornadoes' season culminated with a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship on Saturday, defeating Bethany 3-0 in the winners bracket to start the day, and then defeating Bethany again, 4-2, in the championship game.  The PAC Championship is the second title for the softball program since joining the NCAA Division III ten years ago, with the first PAC Championship coming in 2012.  The victories improved Geneva's record to 36-5 and qualifies the Golden Tornadoes for the NCAA Division III Tournament scheduled to start in two weeks.

The top-seeded Golden Tornadoes put themselves in good position on Friday, the opening day of the PAC Tournament, when the Geneva defeated #5 Grove City, 9-0.  #3 Bethany upset #2 Westminster on Friday, so Geneva and Bethany squared off in the winners bracket game to start the day, with the winner advancing to the PAC Championship game later in the day.  The loser would drop into an elimination game against Westminster immediately following this first game.

Sophomore Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Cali./Yucca Valley) got the ball in game one after her shutout performance yesterday against Grove City.  Smith ran into trouble when three of the first four batters reached safely to load the bases with one out, but Smith managed to get out of the inning unscathed with a lineout and a groundout to keep Bethany off the board.  It would prove to be a theme for the remainder of the game.

The Geneva offense struggled to get going early against Bethany ace Josie Wise.  A walk by senior Marina Manuppelli (Mars, Pa./Mars) was the only base runner for the Golden Tornadoes through the first three innings.

The fourth proved to be a big inning, though.  Bethany once again loaded the bases, this time with two outs, but a groundball got Smith out of another jam.

The Bison defense helped Geneva out in the bottom of the inning.  Sophomore Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) got the Golden Tornadoes their first hit with a leadoff single, but the hit came only after a foul-popup off Forsythe's bat that should be have been caught hit the ground.  Sophomore Hannah Raygor (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) followed with a single to give Geneva runners at first and second with no outs.  However, Wise retired the next two hitters, and junior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) hit a ground ball to the second baseman that should have been the third out, but the ball got through the Bison infielder allowing Forsythe to score from second for the first run of the game.  Senior Madison Schultz (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) then followed with an RBI-single to double Geneva's lead to 2-0.

Raygor added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI-double, and that was more than enough offense for Smith.  Despite Bethany getting at least one baserunner in every inning, Smith kept the Bison off the board in her second complete-game shutout in as many days, moving her record to 19-3 on the season.  She pitched all seven innings and gave up five hits and five walks, while striking out four. 

Raygor led the offense in game one, going 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI.  Senior Kyleigh Jo Ward (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing) added a 1-for-2 effort with a run and a stolen base.

The victory sent Geneva into the championship game where the Golden Tornadoes awaited the winner of the elimination game between Westminster and Bethany that followed.  Bethany again upset Westminster in that elimination game, 1-0, a surprising result for a Westminster squad that entered the tournament 32-2, with the highest-scoring offense in the PAC, and the Titans had swept the Bison in four games during the regular season.  However, the Titans scored just two runs in the two losses to Bethany in the PAC Tournament after scoring 25 runs against Bison pitching in the four regular season matchups.

So, with the Bison victory, Bethany had to play its third straight game of the day in the championship game, and the Golden Tornadoes had the luxury of knowing the Bison would have to defeat Geneva twice to win the PAC Championship. 

Despite pitching the two previous games of the day, Wise took the circle again for the Bison, and she kept the Geneva offense in check for most of the game.  West took the circle for Geneva, and neither pitcher gave up anything early.  West retired the first nine batters she saw, and Wise retired the first eight Golden Tornadoes that faced her.

However, in the bottom of the third, Ward came up with the first hit for either team with a two-out single to left.  She stole second and came around to score on an RBI-single from junior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista), giving Geneva the first run of the game.

Bethany responded right away, however.  A leadoff double in the top of the fourth led to a Bison run, evening the score at 1-1.

The Geneva offense had an answer again, though, with some help from the Bethany defense.  Raygor led off with a double to start the inning.  Sophomore Peri Ceasri (El Dorado Hills, Cali./El Dorado) followed with a line drive to center that Bethany's centerfielder came running in on.  She was in position to make the catch, but the ball went in and out of her glove for an error.  Raygor was halfway to third base, and Bethany would have had an easy throw back to second base for a double play.  However, with the error, Geneva had runners at the corners with no outs instead.  Manuppelli made the Bison pay as she immediately laced a two-run double into the gap in left centerfield, giving the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 3-1.

Bethany once again had an answer, as a two-out double in the top of the fifth scored a run and pulled the Bison with a run, but West got out of the inning without further damage.

The Golden Tornadoes quickly got that run back in the bottom of the inning, though, as a leadoff walk by Ward led to a run on Ceasri's RBI-single through the middle, extending Geneva's lead to 4-2.

West worked around a leadoff single in the top of the sixth to keep Bethany off the board.  The Golden Tornadoes went quickly in order in the bottom of the frame to leave Geneva within three outs of a PAC Championship.

Johnson made possibly the play of the tournament in the top of the seventh.  With the Bison needing at least one baserunner to have a chance, Bethany's Angela Brandel led off with a line drive into the gap in left-centerfield that looked like a sure extra-base hit.  However, Johnson sprinted over and went completely horizontal in making a sensational diving grab for the first out of the inning.  Johnson then proceeded to catch the final two outs of the game on much more routine fly balls to clinch the PAC Championship and set off a Geneva celebration in the infield.

West finished with the complete-game victory, pitching all seven innings while giving up just five hits, two runs and no walks, while striking out one.  The win moved her record to 16-2.

The offense managed six hits against Wise, who finished the day pitching all 19 innings for Bethany, including throwing 248 pitches over those three games.  Six different Golden Tornadoes accounted for those six hits, with Ward scoring twice and Manuppelli driving in two.  Johnson and Ceasri each drove in the other Geneva runs.

"I'm just so proud of our girls for this huge accomplishment," said Head Coach Van Zanic.  "They were the best team in the conference, and they deserve to be conference champions.  I'm especially happy for our seniors, who have been through a lot, though our whole team has been challenged this season with everything going on in the world and all the restrictions they had to follow.  So to finish out the season in style, I think they left no doubt about who the best team in our conference is.

"Individually, our pitchers, Haley and Nikki, have been incredible all year long.  They both stepped up huge this weekend.  We got key hits from a lot of different people, so everyone contributed to these wins.  I'm proud of everyone, from our players, to our coaches, to our support staff.  This championship was a true team accomplishment by so many people, and it's a great win for Geneva College.  I'm looking forward to this team getting to experience something special in a season in which we really haven't been able to travel much at all, so we're looking forward to heading to the NCAA Tournament and getting to play some teams from different parts of the country."

After the tournament was completed, Smith was named the Tournament MVP after she pitched 14 innings without giving up a run in her two complete-game victories.  Johnson, Manuppelli and Raygor were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Geneva now awaits its destination for the NCAA Division III Tournament.  The brackets won't be announced until Monday, May 17, with the opening rounds of the tournament scheduled to begin the following Thursday and Friday, May 21 and 22.

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).