NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team dropped a pair of games on a chilly and damp Monday afternoon at Westminster, falling to the Titans by scores of 14-8 and 12-2. Geneva's record is now 14-21 overall, 5-11 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Freshman Kirk Bearjar got the offense on the board in the top of the first of game one, a sign of things to come for the freshman. His RBI-double brought home junior Tim Hermansen to give Geneva an early edge.
Westminster answered right back in the bottom of the first, though, against sophomore starter Zach Lemansky. The first two Titans singled to lead off the inning, and both eventually came around to score.
Westminster added three more runs in the bottom of the second, all after the first two Titans were retired by Lemansky. Geneva responded in the top of the third with a run on another RBI-double, this one from sophomore Zack Sackett, to bring home Bearjar who had singled, but the Titans answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame.
Geneva pulled within 6-4 in the top of the fifth with two runs. Bearjar got the offense going with a one-out double. He came around to score on a single by freshman Aaron Babu, and after another Sackett double put runners at second and third, Babu scored on a wild pitch.
Westminster again had a response, though, this time against the Geneva bullpen. The Titans twice in the fifth, three times in the sixth while adding two more runs in the seventh.
Geneva's offense put three more runs up in the top of the seventh, with Bearjar supplying another RBI-double, along with RBIs from junior David Toruno and Babu, but the Golden Tornado pitching had no answers to slow down Westminster's offense, who added another run in the eighth.
The Golden Tornadoes added one more run in the top of the ninth to close out the scoring, 14-8.
Bearjar had a big game for the Geneva offense, going 4-for-4 with a walk, three doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Babu, Sackett and senior Gabriel Morales each added two hits for the Golden Tornadoes.
Freshman Ryan Conover got the start for Geneva in game two and Bearjar came through with an RBI-single in the top of the third to give the Golden Tornadoes a brief lead. The Titans responded in the bottom of the frame, though, scoring twice.
Westminster broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth. The first six Titans reached base, on four singles and two walks, on their way to five runs. Westminster put the game away with five more runs in the bottom of the sixth off the Geneva bullpen.
An RBI-groundout by Toruno in the top of the seventh, which scored sophomore Caleb Graft, closed out the scoring in the game, 12-2.
Sophomore Cael Brandt led the offense with a 3-for-3 effort in game two. Toruno added two hits.
Geneva will get right back into action tomorrow with a doubleheader at Saint Vincent, beginning at 1:00 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).
