WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Senior pitcher Haley Smith continued her strong start to the season in posting another shutout on Saturday, helping the Geneva College softball team post another split of two games in Florida. Smith's efforts enabled Geneva to win game one of the day, 6-0, over Elizabethtown. The Golden Tornadoes dropped the second game of the day to Hiram, 8-0, in five innings. Geneva's record is now 3-7.
The first game of the day against Elizabethtown was a pitcher's duel, with neither offense able to generate anything over the first five innings.
Geneva finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. After the first batter was retired, three straight singles loaded the bases. Freshman Madison Rapp then delivered another a single, driving home two runners, to get the Golden Tornadoes on the board. Junior Elishea Reed stole home on a double steal, and later in the inning, graduate student Sarah Johnson drove home two more with an RBI-triple. Johnson would then score on an Elizabethtown error.
Smith retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to complete the shutout. She gave up five hits and three walks while striking out five.
Johnson and Rapp led the offense with two hits and two RBIs apiece. Geneva finished with eight hits, six coming in the sixth inning.
Geneva took on Hiram in the second game of the day, and the Terriers controlled the game from the start. The offense couldn't get anything going against Hiram ace Darian Kanno, who came into the game with an 0.39 ERA.
The Terriers opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the second inning off freshman starter McKenzie Rapp. A Geneva error enabled Hiram to score four more times in the third, and then the Terriers finished off the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Geneva managed just three hits off Kanno in the five-inning affair, all singles.
The softball team will wrap up play in Florida on Monday. The Golden Tornadoes face Wooster at 9:00 a.m., followed by a final game with Franklin and Marshall at 2:00 p.m.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
