NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College softball team played two very different games at Westminster on Thursday afternoon.  The first game of the day was a pitcher's duel, which Geneva lost 2-0.  However, in the second game both offenses came to life, and the Golden Tornadoes rallied from a late three-run deficit to win a high-scoring affair, 9-7, earning an important split of the doubleheader.  Geneva's record is now 11-13 overall, 4-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Game one was a low-scoring affair between the two teams' aces.  Senior Haley Smith took the ball for Geneva, while Westminster's Madison Brown entered the circle for the Titans.  Neither team could generate much offense, though the Golden Tornadoes had some chances with runners on in most innings.  Geneva had two runners thrown out at the plate, once in the first and once in the fifth.

Westminster broke through in the bottom of the fifth with three two-out hits, leading to two runs.  That proved to be enough as the Geneva offense could never find its footing against Brown and dropped the game, 2-0.

Smith pitched all six innings, giving up eight hits and two runs, while striking out two.  The offense managed just five hits against Brown.

Smith got the ball in game two as well, and after retiring the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the first, the next four Titans reached base on a walk and three hits, leading to two Westminster runs.  That put Geneva in an early hole.

The Golden Tornadoes responded immediately, though.  Geneva loaded the bases with one out, and freshman Payton James followed with a line drive over the leftfielder's head for a two-run double.  Graduate student Sarah Johnson followed with an RBI-single to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead, though Geneva could have had more later in the inning were it not for a baserunning error that cost the Golden Tornadoes another run. 

Geneva almost added to its lead in the third, but the Golden Tornadoes had another runner thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Westminster took advantage with two runs in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, 4-3, knocking Smith out of the game in the process.  Freshman McKenzie Rapp relieved Smith and got out of a bases-loaded jam to limit the damage to just two runs.

The offense managed to push a run across in the top of the fourth on an RBI-groundout from Johnson, pulling even with the Titans.  That forced Westminster to bring Brown, who shut out the Golden Tornadoes in game one, into the game in relief.

Rapp wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the fourth to keep the two teams tied.  However, the Titans struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 7-4 lead.

Once again, though, Geneva answered immediately in the top of the sixth.  The Golden Tornadoes loaded the bases with no outs, and junior Julia Hart followed with a bases-clearing double off the centerfield wall, pulling Geneva even again.  Two batters later, Hart came home on a fielder's choice to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 8-7.

Smith came back into the game in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Rapp, and she retired the Titans in order to send the game into the seventh with Geneva still holding the lead.

Hart came through again in the top of the seventh, driving a ball into the left-centerfield gap to drive home senior Madison Forsythe with two outs, giving the Golden Tornadoes an insurance run.

The extra run was not needed, though, as Smith retired the Titans in order again in the seventh to close out the win.

Rapp earned the victory with her 2.1 innings of relief, while Smith earned the save, the softball oddity of the starting pitcher earning the save.

Hart led the offense with four hits and four RBIs.  Johnson added four hits and two RBIs, while graduate student Madison Smith added three hits.  James and freshman Madison Rapp each contributed two hits, with James driving in two runs and Rapp scoring twice.

Geneva will get almost a week off to enjoy the Easter break before returning to action next Wednesday with a doubleheader at home against W&J, starting at 3:30 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).