BEAVER, Pa. – The Golden Tornadoes' bats stayed hot Thursday evening, with a mid-game push at the plate in the fifth and sixth innings proving to be the difference against Penn State Beaver in a 10-5 win. With the victory, Geneva's record jumps to 7-3 as they prepare to open Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Saturday.
The men got a couple of hits from juniors Zach Lemansky and Zack Sackett early in the game, but neither side was able to get much going offensively at the outset. Freshman Cayden Cribbs was pitching well, only allowing one hit through the first two innings.
An RBI-double from senior David Toruno drove in Geneva's first run of the game in the third inning. After Lemansky hit a single, which sent Toruno to third, sophomore Aaron Babu was able to reach base on a fielding error by the Lions' third baseman. This plated another run for the GTs, who found themselves up 2-0. Beaver did respond with a run in the bottom half of the frame, but Geneva would not trail for the remainder of the game.
The two sides traded runs in the fourth inning, with Sackett picking up his second hit of the day, an RBI-double, to send home Geneva's third run. Things really took off for the Golden Tornadoes in the fifth inning, however, after a brief rain delay. With the bases loaded, freshman Michael Twigg hit a ball into centerfield, where an error by the outfielder allowed three runs to score, breaking the game open for Geneva. Sophomore Hunter Smith picked up an RBI-double himself in the next frame as part of a three-run sixth inning, and the GTs were up big after six, 10-2.
Geneva's offense stalled for the rest of the game, as the Golden Tornadoes managed just two hits in the final three innings. By benefit of the large lead, the men were able to survive three late runs from the Lions to claim the victory by a final score of 10-5.
The GTs are back in action on Saturday with a PAC doubleheader against Waynesburg, their first conference games of the season. They then travel to Hiram next Thursday before finally playing their home opener in a doubleheader against Penn College next week Friday.
(As of the publication of this story, there were no statistics available)
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).
