BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It wasn't a very memorable afternoon for most of the Geneva College baseball team's doubleheader with Thiel on Saturday, but it ended on a high note as senior Adrian Tapia's walkoff allowed the Golden Tornadoes to rally late for an 8-7 win in game two. The Tomcats took game one, 7-2. Geneva is now 12-14 overall, 5-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
The story for most of the day for the Golden Tornadoes was defensive miscues. In fact, 12 of the 14 runs Thiel scored over the two games were unearned due to 13 Geneva errors in the doubleheader. The defensive troubles started early for the Golden Tornadoes in game one.
Thiel took advantage of two Geneva errors in the first three batters to score three unearned runs off freshman starting pitcher Collin Porter.
Geneva's offense immediately responded in the bottom of the frame, though. Freshman Aaron Babu and sophomore Zack Sackett picked up RBI-singles in the first, but the inning could have been even better. The Golden Tornadoes had the bases loaded with one out after Sackett's single, but a line drive turned into a double play, allowing the Tomcats to escape the inning holding a 3-2 lead.
After the good first inning for the Geneva offense, the Golden Tornado bats unfortunately went silent the rest of the game. Geneva defensive errors in the third and fifth innings led to single Thiel runs in each inning, extending the Tomcat lead to 5-2.
Thiel added two more runs in the sixth, Thiel's only two earned runs of the day, to take control of the game, and Tomcats closed out the win, 7-2.
Porter picked up a tough loss, giving up eight hits and six runs, with just one earned. Freshman Ethan Blair led the Geneva offense with three hits, while Babu and Sackett each added two hits.
Freshman Ryan Conover, who has been very strong on the mound for the Golden Tornadoes in his first season, got the start in game two. He was good again, though his defense struggled again behind him.
Geneva jumped ahead with a run in the first inning on a two-out RBI-single from Tapia.
However, Thiel took advantage of Geneva errors in the third and fourth innings to push across an unearned run in each inning, despite picking up just one single in the two frames.
The Tomcats then struck for three runs in the top of the sixth, all after a two-out error extended the inning. Thiel looked to be in full control at that point, up 5-1, as the Geneva offense was struggling to get anything going.
However, the final four innings had more twists and turns than a Hollywood movie. The Golden Tornadoes got a spark from the bat of sophomore Harrison Burns in the bottom of the inning. Burns hit his first career home run, a two-run shot to right field, to get the Geneva offense jump-started. The next three Golden Tornadoes reached base, and freshman Ashton Wilson eventually scored on a wild pitch to pull Geneva within 5-4. Junior David Toruno followed with a walk to load the bases again, with just one out, but a groundball double play allowed Thiel to escape the inning while still holding the lead.
Geneva couldn't convert a leadoff double by Tapia in the seventh, leaving the bases loaded, but the Golden Tornadoes kept battling. It finally paid off in the bottom of the eighth. Tapia again came through for Geneva, delivering an RBI-single with one out to pull the Golden Tornadoes even. Then Geneva got a break back from the Tomcats when a bad relay throw on a potential double play allowed freshman Noah Avey to score the go-ahead run.
Things wouldn't come easily in the ninth, though. After freshman reliever Kirk Bearjar got the first two Tomcats out, Bearjar started to tire after almost three innings of relief. He walked the next two batters, prompting a call to the bullpen to bring in Blair. Blair walked the next batter to load the bases. Geneva looked like it had won the game when the next batter popped up behind the plate, but the foul ball was dropped, allowing the inning to continue. The Tomcats, as they had done all day, converted the extra chance with a two-run RBI-single, giving Thiel the lead back, 7-6.
Despite having let the game get away, the Golden Tornadoes didn't give up. Burns led off the ninth with a walk, his fourth of the day, and senior Gabriel Morales pinch ran for Burns. Morales advanced to second on a wild pitch, and a sacrifice bunt moved him to third with one out. Sackett followed with an RBI-single to bring home Morales to tie the game at 6-6.
Junior Tim Hermansen followed Sackett's single with a double, putting runners at second and third with one out. The Tomcats intentionally walked Toruno to load the bases, and Thiel looked like it might get out of the inning when Avey struck out for the second out of the inning. However, Tapia came through again for the Golden Tornadoes when an inside pitch hit him on the forearm to force in the winning run, 8-7.
Conover ended up pitching 6.0 innings, giving up just five hits while striking out seven. He deserved better, as all five runs he gave up were unearned. Bearjar gave Geneva 2.2 innings of good relief, while Blair recorded just one out but picked up the win.
Tapia was the star offensively in game two, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Burns was also key, reaching base all five times, including four walks and a home run. Hermansen and Avey each added two hits.
Geneva will continue its long stretch at home on Wednesday when the Golden Tornadoes host Grove City for a doubleheader 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).
