BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College softball team wrapped up the home portion of its regular season schedule with a doubleheader against Thiel on a very cold Wednesday afternoon, and as the Golden Tornadoes have done for much of the conference season, Geneva split with the Tomcats. Thiel took game one, 6-2, while the Golden Tornadoes bounced back to win game two convincingly, 11-3, in five innings. Geneva's record is now 18-14, 8-8 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
Geneva celebrated its seven seniors prior to the first game, who have been an important part of 76 wins over the past four years, as well as the PAC Championship last season. The temperatures when the first game started were hovering around 40 degrees, with the wind chill near freezing and an occasional slow flurry in the air on the cold and cloudy afternoon.
Junior Haley Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley) got the start in game one, and neither team could get any offense going in the first two innings. The Tomcats struck first, though, in the top of the third, generating a two-out rally after the first two batters has been retired to score twice in taking a 2-0 lead.
Geneva tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth on one swing, though, with sophomore Julia Hart (Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock) sending a no-doubt blast over the left field fence for a two-run home run.
However, that was all the offense the Golden Tornadoes could create in the game, and Thiel took control of the game with two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to win 6-2.
Geneva could muster just four hits in the first game, two by senior Nicole West (Glenwood, Md./McDonogh).
West got the start in game two, and things went much differently for the Golden Tornadoes and their offense. After West retired the Tomcats in order in the top of the first, including two strikeouts, Geneva struck for four runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Sarah Johnson (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) led off the inning with a single and then stole second base, the 100th steal of her career. She came around to score on a single from junior Madison Forsythe (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford). Later in the inning, Hart doubled, and then West finished things up with a two-run home run to left to quickly give Geneva a 4-0 advantage.
Thiel pushed a run across in the top of the second, but the Geneva offense just kept scoring. Forsythe again singled home Johnson in the bottom of the second for another run. Then in the third inning, junior Peri Ceasri (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Vista Del Lago) drove home two more with a double, and senior Sidney Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) followed with a double to drive home Ceasri, making it 8-1.
The Tomcats added another run in the top of the fourth, but the Golden Tornadoes kept their offense going in the bottom of the inning. Hart hit another two-run home run, and later in the inning senior Madison Smith (Joshua Tree, Calif./Yucca Valley) doubled home another run to make it 11-2.
Thiel scored once in the top of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to keep Geneva from run-ruling the Tomcats in five innings, 11-3.
West earned her ninth win of the season, pitching all five innings while giving up five hits and three runs, while striking out three.
Offensively, Hart was again the star of the game. She finished 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. Johnson also had a strong game, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases, including her 100th career steal. Forsythe added two hits and two RBIs as Geneva finished with 12 hits in just four innings.
Geneva will now wrap up its regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader at W&J beginning at 1:00 p.m. The top six teams make the PAC playoffs, though the fourth, fifth and sixth place teams play a three-team play-in tournament on Tuesday for the final spot in the double elimination tournament next weekend. Two wins on Saturday would clinch a spot in the playoffs in that three-team play-in tournament.
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).
