FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Geneva College baseball team lost two games to Monmouth College on Friday afternoon in Florida, falling by scores of 8-1 and 13-4. Geneva's record is now 2-6.
Freshman Alex Tatusko (Independence, Ky./Bishop Brossart) took the mound in game one of the doubleheader, and Monmouth struck early. The Fighting Scots scored once in the first, four times in the second, and then Monmouth finished off its scoring with three in the third, knocking Tatusko out of the game in the process.
Geneva could not generate much offense against Monmouth starter Nathan Willig, with the Golden Tornadoes scoring just once in the bottom of the sixth, courtesy a Fight Scots' error.
Tatusko took the loss, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up eight hits, seven runs and a walk, striking out three. The Geneva offense managed just six hits against Willig, with senior Alex Fee (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) having a strong day in the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Sophomore Jackson Hall (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton) got the start in the second game, and Monmouth again jumped out to the early lead with single runs in the first and second, followed by two more runs in the third.
Geneva pushed a run across in the fourth, but the Fighting Scots answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.
The Golden Tornadoes put together their best inning of the day in the top of the fifth. Freshman Zack Sackett (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) had an RBI-single, senior Dillon Bickerton (Salem, Ohio/Salem) provided an RBI-double, and sophomore Tim Hermansen (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) finished the inning with an RBI-single, pulling Geneva within 5-4.
However, Monmouth put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the inning, and the Fighting Scots added three more runs in the sixth to pull away for the 13-4 win.
Hall took the loss, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up seven hits, four runs and three walks.
Bickerton led the offense with three hits. Sophomore Ray Knallay (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) reached base all four times with two hits and two walks, while Hermansen and freshman Harrison Burns (Buford, Ga./Buford) each contributed two hits apiece.
Geneva wraps up its time in Florida with a single game against Drew tomorrow at 10:00 a.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).
