BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team looked to be on its way to a comfortable win over Westminster on Friday afternoon in the opening game of its series before seeing the Titans overcome a big deficit to even the game up late. However, the Golden Tornadoes made the plays they needed to at the end to prevail, 13-10. Geneva's record is now 9-21 overall, 5-12 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Westminster dropped to 17-10, 12-6 in the PAC.
Junior Timothy Munz (Euclid, Ohio/Late Catholic) got the start put together a strong outing. Geneva gave him a big early cushion when the Golden Tornadoes scored five times in the bottom of the second, all with two outs. Freshman Connor O'Brien (Swanton, Md./Calvary Christian) drove home the first run with a single, and then later in the inning sophomore David Toruno (Menifee, Calif./Paloma Valley) and senior Dillon Bickerton (Salem, Ohio/Salem) each delivered 2-RBI singles.
The Titans scored their only run off Munz in the top of the third, but Geneva created more two-out magic in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Adrian Tapia (Homestead, Fla./Keys Gate Charter) drove home two runs with a double, and then Tapia later came around to score on a wild pitch, with sophomore Tim Hermansen (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) also scoring from second on the wild pitch when the throw from the catcher from the backstop got away. That gave Geneva a 9-1 lead, which the Golden Tornadoes still held going into the sixth.
Westminster got its offense rolling, though, against the Geneva bullpen. After Munz exited, the Titans scored a single run in the sixth and seventh innings, and then Westminster put up six runs in the eighth to tie the score at 9-9. The Geneva bullpen helped the Titan offense, with three walks and a hit batter, as Westminster needed just two hits to generate those six runs.
Westminster returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, though. Freshman Zack Sackett (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) led off with a single, which would be the only hit of the inning. However, four walks and a Titan error led to four runs for the Golden Tornadoes, giving Geneva a 13-9 lead heading into the ninth.
Victory wouldn't come easily, though. Westminster began the top of the ninth with a walk, a single and a double, plating one runner and giving the Titans runners at second and third with no outs. Freshman Derek Sears (Sherman, N.Y./Sherman) emerged from the bullpen, though, and put out the fire. He retired all three batters he faced on a strikeout, a shallow fly ball and an infield pop-up to preserve the victory and earn his first career save.
Freshman Cael Brandt (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) earned his first win after coming in with two outs in the eighth and getting Geneva out of the inning without giving up the lead. Munz pitched five innings and gave up just four hits and one run in his start.
Offensively, Toruno and junior Gabriel Morales (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) led the offense with two hits apiece, with Toruno driving in three RBIs. Bickerton and Tapia each drove in two runners, while Hermansen scored three times.
Geneva will finish the three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader at Westminster, starting 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).
