BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team hosted Hilbert on Thursday afternoon for its home-opening doubleheader, and the Golden Tornadoes ended their losing streak from Florida in the first game of the day, getting a strong pitching effort from freshman starter Jeff Hawkins (Severn, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) to win game one, 7-2. Hilbert rebounded in the second game for a 12-9 victory to split the doubleheader. Geneva's record is now 3-8, while Hilbert is 4-9.
Hawkins got early support in the first game after Geneva scored a run in the first on an RBI from senior Adrian Tapia (Homestead, Fla./Keys Gate Charter).
The Golden Tornadoes struck again in the second inning, this time for three runs. Freshman Cael Brandt (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and senior Alex Fee (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) each doubled home a run, while freshman Zack Sackett (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) drove in Geneva's third run with an RBI-single.
Hilbert got its only run off Hawkins in the top of the fourth, but the Geneva offense responded with another big inning in the bottom of the frame. Tapia and sophomore Jackson Hall (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton) had RBI-singles, with a third run scoring on an error, to give the Golden Tornadoes a 7-1 lead. Geneva closed out the game over the final two innings to win 7-2.
Hawkins earned his second win of the season with his strong performance, going 5.2 innings while giving up just five hits and one run, while striking out four.
Fee and Hall each finished with three hits, with Fee scoring twice and driving in a run, and Hall contributing two doubles, a run and an RBI. Brandt, Sackett and junior Gabriel Morales (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) each finished with two hits, as the Geneva offense produced 15 hits in the victory.
Sophomore Joshua Kearns (Akron, Ohio/Woodridge) took the ball in the second game, and Hilbert struck for three runs in the top of the first. The Hawks then produced a two-out rally to knock Kearns out of the game in the second. After Kearns retired the first two batters, a single, a hit batter and two walks eventually led to four runs for Hawks, extending the Hilbert lead to 7-0.
Brandt singled home a run in the bottom of the second to get Geneva on the board. Morales stole home in the bottom of the third to add another run, and then the Golden Tornadoes struck for three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Morales drove in two runners with a single, while sophomore Ray Knallay (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) drove home another run, pulling Geneva within 7-5.
Hilbert responded with a big inning in the top of the fifth, though, off freshman reliever Derek Sears (Sherman, N.Y./Sherman). Sears provided Geneva with two strong innings in relief of Kearns, but he tired in the fifth and the Hawks took advantage with three runs off Sears and two more off freshman reliver Alex Tatusko (Independence, Ky./Bishop Brossart), giving Hilbert a commanding 12-5 lead.
The Geneva offense scored twice in the sixth, on a 2-RBI single from Knallay, and twice more in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as Hilbert held on for the 12-9 win.
Morales led the offense with two hits and three RBIs. Fee and Sackett each provided two hits, while Knallay also drove in three runners. Geneva finished with 10 hits in the second game.
Geneva will return to action on Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes host Penn State New Kensington for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 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).
