ALTOONA, Pa. – It was a rough afternoon for the Geneva College softball team at Penn State Altoona on Friday. The Golden Tornadoes had numerous chances to score runs, but Geneva couldn't come up with hits in key spots and dropped both games of the doubleheader by scores of 3-2 and 4-2. Geneva dropped to 8-6 on the season, while Penn State Altoona improved to 6-7.
Senior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) got the ball in game one, and Penn State Altoona got on the board with a two-out run in the bottom of the second.
The Geneva offense had a hard time getting started, but the Golden Tornadoes eventually pushed across runs in the top of the fifth, on a sacrifice fly from senior Madison Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley), and in the sixth, when sophomore Julia Hart (Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock) led off with a double and eventually came around to score.
However, the Lions came up with two runs, both with two outs, in the bottom of the sixth, and the Golden Tornadoes couldn't rally in the top of the seventh, losing 3-2.
West pitched all six innings, giving up five hits, three runs and four walks, while striking out three.
Geneva outhit Penn State Altoona 8-5, but the Golden Tornadoes left a number of runners on base. Hart, senior Paige Dill (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) and junior Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) each had two hits.
Junior Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley) took the ball in game two, and Penn State Altoona continued with its two-out magic, scoring twice in the bottom of the first on a two-out single.
Geneva got on the board in the top of the second when Hart came around to score after she opened the inning with another double.
However, a Golden Tornado error allowed Penn State Altoona to score twice more on a two-out single in the bottom of the third.
Geneva added a run in the top of the fourth, but the Golden Tornadoes left two runners on. Geneva proceeded to leave two runners on in each of the fifth and sixth innings as well, and the Golden Tornadoes eventually lost 4-2.
Smith pitched all six innings, giving up five hits, four runs (two earned) and five walks, while striking out two. The offense hit just 1-of-12 with runners in scoring position in the game.
Geneva will return to action next Friday when the Golden Tornadoes open Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with a doubleheader at Franciscan beginning at 3:00 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).
