GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Geneva College softball team earned its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory on Tuesday at Grove City, managing a split in the doubleheader against the Wolverines. Grove City came back to defeat Geneva in game one, 2-1, before the Golden Tornadoes won game two, 9-5. Geneva's record is now 11-9, 1-3 in the PAC.
Senior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh) got the start in game one, and she was strong early on. Geneva pushed a run across in the top of the third when junior Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford) drove home senior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) with a single. However, the Golden Tornadoes wasted a chance to get more, striking out twice with runners on second and third, and that missed chance proved costly.
Grove City tied up the score in the fourth, and then the Wolverines took their first lead of the game with a two-out run in the sixth, and the Geneva offense couldn't rally in the seventh, falling 2-1.
West took the loss, pitching all six innings, giving up nine hits and two runs while striking out three. Johnson had three hits while Forsythe added two hits, generating most of the offense for the Golden Tornadoes.
Junior Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley) got the start in the circle in game two, and Johnson got the offense started with a leadoff single and a stolen base. She came around to score later in the inning, and Geneva added a second run on a double steal.
The Wolverines came right back in the bottom of the inning, though, tying the score with two runs in their half of the frame.
Geneva caught a break in the top of the second. The Golden Tornadoes loaded the bases with one out, and after a force out at the plate, Grove City looked ready to get out of the inning when Forsythe hit a line drive to left field that was catchable, but the outfielder dropped the ball, allowing all three runners to score.
Grove City got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth to pull within one, 5-4.
Forsythe led off with a double in the top of the fifth, and she eventually came around to score giving Geneva an insurance run. Forsythe then delivered a two-out, two-run single in the sixth to extend Geneva's lead, and a double from sophomore Elishea Reed (Lanse, Pa./West Branch) drove home Forsythe, making it 9-4. Grove City added a single run in the bottom of the inning to finish out the scoring.
Smith earned her sixth win of the season, pitching all seven innings, giving up five hits and five runs (three earned), while striking out eight.
Forsythe led the offense, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Senior Sidney Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) also finished with two hits, while Johnson scored three runs.
Geneva will be back in action on Thursday with a home doubleheader against Waynesburg 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).
