BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College softball team opened the home portion of its schedule on Saturday against a strong Penn State Behrend squad. Not only did the Golden Tornadoes have to deal with the Lions, the two teams had to battle the rain, and on Saturday it was Penn State Behrend who managed that better and came away with victories of 6-1 and 3-2, with the second game going 10 innings. Geneva's record is now 6-4.
Junior Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley) got the ball in game one, and the first three batters she faced all reached, and all three eventually came around to score giving Behrend an early lead.
Geneva's offense got on the board in the bottom of the first courtesy senior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista). Johnson led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on a ground out. Unfortunately, that proved to be the only offense the Golden Tornadoes could generate against Behrend starter Ashleigh Schmidt.
Behrend broke the game open with three more runs in the top of the fourth, bunching together five straight hits after Smith retired the first two batters, and the Lions cruised from there for the 6-1 victory.
Smith took the loss, moving her record to 3-2, pitching all seven innings while giving up 11 hits, six runs and two walks, while striking out seven. Johnson and senior Sidney Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) each had two hits for the Golden Tornadoes.
Senior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) took the ball in game two. She retired the first nine hitters she faced before Behrend struck for two runs in the top of the fourth.
West got Geneva on the board in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI-double. She then tied up the game in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI-single, but the Golden Tornadoes left the bases loaded with a chance to take the lead.
Neither team could find the winning run over the next three innings, with the game moving to the 10th inning. At that point each team started with a runner at second base to lead off the inning. The Lions got their runner across in the top of the inning, and the Golden Tornadoes failed to do so with their runner in the bottom of the 10th, and Geneva fell 3-2.
West was the tough-luck losing pitcher, going all 10 innings while giving up just six hits and three runs (two earned). West, Young and senior Paige Dill (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) each had two hits for Geneva, who outhit Behrend 9-6.
Geneva returns to action on Wednesday with a home doubleheader against Baldwin Wallace beginning at 3:30 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).
