BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team finally got a chance to play at home this season, hosting Penn College for a doubleheader on Friday afternoon, and the teams split the two games while battling through the cold and some rain. The Golden Tornadoes took game one, 10-3, while Penn answered with a 15-11 victory in game two. Geneva's record is now 8-6.
Sophomore Eric Keaton got the start in game one, and he put together a strong start. Penn actually got on the board first, though, courtesy two Geneva errors in the second inning, but Keaton got out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to keep the Wildcats from a bigger inning.
Geneva responded in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore Aaron Babu and freshman Josh Hull executed a first-and-third double steal to plate one run, and then Hull eventually scored on an RBI-groundout by freshman Jonathan Dysinger.
Penn pulled even with a run in the third inning after Keaton retired the first two batters, but the Golden Tornadoes quickly responded again. Geneva loaded the bases with one out, and sophomore Kirk Bearjar scored on a wild pitch to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back. Then freshman Michael Twigg singled home two more runs to give Geneva a 5-2 advantage.
Geneva broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Golden Tornadoes again loaded the bases with one out, and Dysinger brought one home with a single. Senior Tim Hermansen followed with a 2-run single. Bearjar added an RBI-single in the frame, while Geneva plated a fifth run on a Penn error.
That was more than enough offense for Keaton. He finished his day with 5.2 innings pitched while giving up just four hits and one earned run. He also struck out six, earning his first victory of the season.
Twigg and Hull each led the offense with two hits apiece. Twigg, Hermansen and Dysinger each drove in two runs, while Babo walked three times and scored three runs.
Sophomore Jacob McFarland got the start in game two, and his defense let him down in the second inning. Four Geneva errors led to five Wildcat unearned runs, putting the Golden Tornadoes in a big early hole.
Geneva caught a break in the bottom of the inning when, with the bases loaded and two outs, Penn's right fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Hermansen, allowing all three runners to score and pull Geneva within 5-3.
Another Golden Tornado error in the top of the third allowed Penn to push across a sixth unearned run, and the Geneva bullpen was unable to provide the scoreless relief the Golden Tornadoes needed to mount a comeback, though the offense tried.
Penn scored at least once in the final six innings of the game, but the Geneva attack never gave up. Trailing 8-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Tornadoes loaded the bases again with one out. Twigg was hit by a pitch to drive in one run, junior Eric Gonzalez plated another run with an RBI-groundout, and then Hull drove in two more with a single to pull Geneva within 8-7.
Penn answered immediately with four runs of its own in the top of the sixth, though. Junior Zack Sackett got two of those runs back in the bottom of the frame with a home run over the left field wall, and Geneva scored two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Penn error, but the Wildcats held off the late Golden Tornado rally for a 15-11 victory.
Hermansen, Sackett and Hull led the Geneva offense with two hits apiece. Hermansen, Sacket, Twigg and Gonzalez each scored twice.
Geneva will return to action next Tuesday when the Golden Tornadoes travel to Franciscan for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.
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).
