MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Geneva College baseball team finished its time in Myrtle Beach playing strong baseball, sweeping Wells on Monday for its third and fourth straight victories. The Golden Tornadoes came from behind in game one to win 8-7, and then Geneva led from start to finish in a 5-3 victory in game two. The Golden Tornadoes return home with a 6-3 overall record.
Sophomore Eric Keaton got the start in game one, and the Express pushed across a quick run in the top of the first.
Geneva responded in its half of the frame with two runs, both scoring on a two-out RBI-single from sophomore Aaron Babu.
Wells answered with a big inning in the top of the second. Six of the first seven batters reached base as the Express scored five times to grab a 6-2 lead.
The Golden Tornadoes slowly started their comeback, though. An RBI-double from freshman Michael Twigg in the bottom of the second got the Geneva offense going, and freshman Dylan Rowe came in to relieve Keaton in the top of the third to slow down the Wells offense.
A sacrifice fly from senior Tim Hermansen pulled Geneva within 6-4 in the bottom of the third, and RBI-singles from junior Zach Lemansky and sophomore Hunter Smith in the bottom of the fourth pulled the Golden Tornadoes even at 6-6.
Wells retook the lead in the top of the sixth after a leadoff double came around to score, but junior Jeff Hawkins relieved Rowe and limited the damage to just one run.
Geneva retook the lead in the bottom the frame, though, as Babu singled with one out and went to third on a double from Smith. Hermansen drove home Babu with a sacrifice fly, and then Twigg beat out an infield single to second base. Smith didn't stop at third base on the infield single, though, catching the Wells defense off guard and sliding into home plate just in front of the throw home, providing the eventual winning run.
Hawkins retired the Express in order in the top of the seventh inning to earn his first win of the season with two scoreless innings of relief.
Twigg led the offense, reaching base all four times while going 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. Babu, Smith and junior Zack Sackett each added two hits, while Lemansky reached base three times on a hit and two walks while scoring three times.
Sophomore Jacob McFarland got the start in game two, and the offense provided him some early run support. Smith scored on an error in the second inning to get Geneva on the board. In the third inning, senior David Toruno led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the frame, Hermansen and Twigg provided RBI-singles to give the Golden Tornadoes a 4-0 lead.
A Geneva error in the bottom of the inning allowed Wells to score three unearned runs, and Lemansky relieved McFarland with two outs and got the final out on a strikeout to preserve the 4-3 Golden Tornado lead, and Lemansky would be excellent on the mound the rest of the game.
Geneva got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Smith, and Lemansky held the Wells offense in check the rest of the contest. He got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh when Wells had the tying runs in scoring position with one out by getting a strikeout and a flyout to secure the victory.
Lemansky earned his second win of the season, pitching 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, giving up four hits while striking out six. He's yet to give up a run in three appearances this season.
Toruno and Hermansen led the offense with two hits apiece. Toruno also scored twice.
Geneva will make the long drive back from Myrtle Beach on Monday and will continue its season-opening road stretch later this week. The Golden Tornadoes will play single games at Penn State New Kensington and Penn State Beaver on Wednesday and Thursday before opening conference play at Waynesburg on Saturday. Geneva opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday, March 22, with a doubleheader against Penn College.
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).
