BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Senior Haley Smith pitched a sparkling game in the first game of a doubleheader with Thiel on Wednesday afternoon, leading the Golden Tornadoes to a 5-1 victory, but Geneva suffered a disappointing 4-2 loss to the struggling Tomcats to split the doubleheader. Geneva's record is now 16-14 overall, 9-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Thiel is 6-21, 2-12 in the PAC.
Smith got the start in game one, and the offense gave her immediate support in the bottom of the first after Smith struck out the side in the top of the inning. Senior Sarah Johnson singled, stole second and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from senior Madison Forsythe. Junior Julia Hart followed with a two-out double, and senior Peri Ceasri drove the next pitch over the left field wall for a quick 3-0 advantage.
Smith cruised through the first six innings without giving up a hit. Ceasri added two more RBIs with a two-run single in the fifth.
The only drama left was whether Smith could finish off the no-hitter, but the Tomcats spoiled that with a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, and that batter would eventually come around to score to wrap up the scoring, 5-1.
Smith earned the complete game-victory, pitching seven innings while giving up just two hits and one run. She struck out eight.
Ceasri powered the offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. Johnson also finished 2-for-3, scoring twice.
Freshman Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle in game two, fresh off her strong start at first place Waynesburg on Saturday. Her teammates gave her some immediate run support in the bottom of the first, courtesy a two-run single from Hart.
Tvaroch ran into some control issues in the top of the second, though. Three walks early in the inning allowed the Tomcats to score four runs, with freshman McKenzie Rapp relieving Tvaroch midway through the inning.
Geneva still had lots of time to rally, but the offense went silent the rest of the game. The Golden Tornadoes got a great relief outing from Rapp, who pitched 4.2 scoreless innings to give Geneva a chance to come back, but the offense could never come through. The Golden Tornadoes' best chance came when they got two base runners on with one out in the sixth, but Geneva couldn't produce the key hit and eventually fell, 4-2.
Johnson contributed three of the six total hits the offense finished with.
Geneva will try to rebound after seeing its six-game winning streak snapped. The Golden Tornadoes have their final regular season home doubleheader of the season this weekend against Bethany. The games are scheduled to start on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., though there is a chance those games get moved to a different day due to rain in the forecast.
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).
