STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Geneva College softball team wrapped up its regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep at Franciscan by scores of 9-2 and 19-3. The Golden Tornadoes secured the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs, finishing the regular season with a 21-15 overall record, 14-6 in the PAC.
Senior Haley Smith got the start in game one, and the Golden Tornadoes gave her some immediate run support. Geneva scored once in the first on an RBI-single from senior Peri Ceasri.
The Golden Tornadoes added three more runs in the top of the second. Senior Sarah Johnson delivered a sacrifice fly, senior Madison Forsythe drove one home with a double, and a third run came home on an RBI-groundout from junior Julia Hart.
The offense continued to add runs in the third, scoring twice more. One run scored on an error, and a second runner came home on another sacrifice fly from Johnson.
Smith, meanwhile, was in the process of retiring 10 of the first 11 batters she faced. Geneva added another run in the fourth on a single from freshman Liv Keller.
Franciscan's only two runs off Smith came in the fifth, but the Golden Tornadoes countered that with an RBI-single from senior Rachael Cardenas in the sixth and another RBI-single from Keller in the seventh, closing out the scoring, 9-2.
Keller led the way offensively finishing with a perfect 3-for-3 effort at the plate. Johnson, Cardenas and freshman Lexi Zanic each added two hits. Smith earned her 12th win of the season with the complete-game effort.
Freshman McKenzie Rapp got the start in the second game, and the offense exploded for 12 runs in the second inning. Johnson drove home two runners with a triple, while Ceasri and senior Madison Smith each added three-run home runs later in the inning. Junior Elishea Reed also added a solo home run in the frame. Johnson's triple was her eighth of the season, breaking the single-season school record.
The big lead allowed Head Coach Van Zanic to get some reserves some playing time over the final three innings. Geneva added three more runs in the third and four more in the fifth.
Franciscan managed three runs in the fourth off the Geneva bullpen, though the Barons finished the game with just three hits.
Reed led the team with three hits, while five other Golden Tornadoes finished with two hits apiece.
After securing the fourth spot in the playoffs, Geneva will be the host team for the play-in tournament. The No. 5 seed, Grove City, will take on the No. 6 seed, Saint Vincent, and then Geneva will immediately play the winner of that game for the right to advance to the PAC Tournament next weekend. The play-in tournament is currently scheduled for Monday, if the weather cooperates. The first game of the day between Grove City and Saint Vincent is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., with Geneva playing the winner approximately 30 minutes after the first game is completed.
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).
