BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team had a chance to sweep visiting Franciscan University in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon after the Golden Tornadoes took game one, 7-3, but Geneva couldn't hold a lead in game two and saw the Barons rally for a 4-2 victory to split the two games. Geneva's record now stands at 8-12 overall, 1-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Sophomore Zach Lemansky got the start in game one, and he put together a strong start while the offense gave him some immediate run support. Geneva scored four times in the bottom of first. Senior Adrian Tapia doubled home two runners, and then sophomore Eric Gonzalez came through with a big two-out, two-RBI single to give the Golden Tornadoes a 4-0 lead after one inning.
The Golden Tornado offense was largely held in check the rest of the game, but it was enough for Lemansky. Senior Gabriel Morales added an RBI-groundout in the third for Geneva's only run over the following six innings after the big first inning.
Franciscan got on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a run. Lemansky made it all the way to the eighth inning before he was relieved after the first two Barons reached base. Both runners eventually came around to score against freshman reliever Ethan Blair, but Blair limited the damage the rest of the way.
Geneva answered Franciscan's two runs with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Tapia drove in one with a single, and then later in the inning sophomore Cael Brandt scored on a wild pitch. Blair closed out the game in the ninth for the save.
Lemansky earned the victory with seven innings of work, giving up seven hits and three runs while striking out three. Gonzalez finished with three hits to lead the offense, including two RBIs, while Tapia added two hits and three RBIs.
Freshman Ryan Conover got the start in the second game, and just like his outing last week against Clarks Summit, he was good again.
Unlike the first game, though, Geneva's offense could never get on track. Franciscan pushed across a run in the top of the fourth, but a Baron error in the bottom of the frame enabled Geneva to pull even on an infield single from sophomore Connor O'Brien.
Geneva took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when junior David Toruno doubled with one out and came around to score on a two-out single from sophomore Zack Sackett. That was all the offense the Golden Tornadoes could generate, though.
The Geneva defense let Conover down in the seventh. A one-out pop up dropped after miscommunication by the Geneva defense, and then a Golden Tornado error on the next batter allowed Franciscan to eventually score two unearned runs to take back the lead, 3-2.
Geneva's offense was unable to respond. The Barons added an insurance run in the top of the eighth to close out the scoring, 4-2.
Conover received a tough-luck loss after he pitched 6.2 innings while giving up just five hits and one earned run. He struck out five. Toruno and O'Brien each had two of Geneva's seven hits.
Next up for Geneva is a road doubleheader on Saturday at Chatham. First pitch is scheduled for 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).
