MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Geneva College baseball team received two strong pitching performances on Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Golden Tornadoes used their work on the mound to earn 5-1 and 6-2 victories over Lancaster Bible. Geneva entered the win column with the two victories and evened its record at 2-2.
Sophomore Caleb Graft took the ball in the first game of the day, and Geneva got on the board first with three runs in the bottom of the third. Junior David Toruno, sophomore Zack Sackett and junior Tim Hermansen all delivered RBI-singles in the rally.
Lancaster Bible got its only run of the game in the top of the fourth, but that was all the Chargers could muster offensively. Toruno drove in two more runs in the sixth with an RBI-double, and freshman Ethan Blair closed out the win with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Toruno and Hermansen led the offense with two hits apiece, with Toruno driving in three runs. Graft earned the win with 4.2 innings of work, giving up just one hit while striking out five.
Freshman Collin Porter got the start in game two in his collegiate debut. Freshman Kirk Bearjar drove in sophomore Connor O'Brien with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first before the Chargers answered with a run off Porter in the bottom of the frame.
Lancaster Bible took its first lead of the day with another run in the bottom of the third. Geneva answered right back in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from senior Alex Fee.
The Golden Tornado offense put together a strong inning in the top of the fifth. Geneva scored three times, with Hermansen providing a sacrifice fly and freshman Aaron Babu delivering an RBI-double.
The Geneva pitching took care of the rest. Porter went five innings while giving up just three hits and two runs, while junior Joshua Kearns earned the save with two shutout innings of relief. Senior Gabriel Morales drove in another run in the seventh to finish out the scoring, 6-2.
Toruno and Babu each delivered two hits as the Golden Tornadoes finished with eight hits in the seven-inning affair.
Geneva will look to extend its winning streak tomorrow when the Golden Tornadoes play a doubleheader against Clarks Summit beginning at 6:00 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).
