KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team split its two games on the opening day of the season in Florida, letting a lead slip away in the first day of the game against Concordia, falling 8-6, before rallying for a 4-2 victory over Carlow to wrap up the day's games.
Game one of the season against Concordia got off to a great start. Freshman Molly Shelley, the first batter of the game, blasted one over the left field wall for a home run in her first collegiate at-bat. Sophomore Lexi Zanic followed with a single, senior Julia Hart was hit-by-pitch and sophomore Justine Robbins walked to load the bases with no outs. Junior Megan Gray drove in one with a fielder's choice, and sophomore Jorja Koerner drove in a third run with an RBI-single.
Sophomore Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle, and she was strong early. She struck out the first two batters of the game in an easy first inning, and she retired the first seven batters she faced.
Geneva added three more runs in the top of the third inning. Hart opened the frame with a walk, and she went to third on a double from Robbins off the center field wall. Gray drove in Hart with a sacrifice fly, Robbins scored on a double steal after freshman Aliya Ottaviani walked, and then sophomore Alex Guzman drove in a third run with a single.
Concordia got on the board after a one-out double in the bottom of the third, and the Cougars added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull within 6-3.
The Cougars then broke out a big inning in the bottom of the fifth, knocking Tvaroch out of the game in the process while scoring four times to take their first lead of the game, 7-6. Concordia added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning with three straight two-out hits.
The Geneva offense put a couple runners on in the top of the seventh, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't rally and dropped the game, 8-6.
Robbins led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Hart reached base all four times on a double, a walk and two hit-by-pitches, while scoring once.
In game two against Carlow, Geneva again got on the board first with an RBI-double from Hart in the bottom of the first.
Graduate student Haley Smith got the start in the circle in game two, and a sterling diving snag from sophomore second baseman Liv Keller saved two runs in the second, but Carlow put together a two-run rally in the third to take a 2-1 lead.
Geneva's offense finally got going in the bottom of the sixth. Koerner opened the inning with a single, and a double from sophomore Madison Rapp put runners on second and third. Keller drove home the tying run with a single, and then Zanic delivered an RBI-single for the go-ahead run. An insurance run came home to score on a wild pitch to give the Golden Tornadoes a 4-2 lead going into the final frame.
The victory wouldn't come easily, though. The first two batters reached base, forcing Head Coach Van Zanic to make a call to the bullpen. Sophomore McKenzie Rapp relieved Smith, and the first batter she faced reached to load the bases with no outs. However, the next batter hit a soft line drive to Zanic at shortstop, and she doubled off the runner at third base. Rapp then struck out the final batter to secure the 4-2 victory and earn the save.
Shelley and Madison Rapp each collected two hits to lead the offense. Smith earned the victory with 6.0 innings pitched, allowing seven hits, two runs and two walks, while striking out three.
The women return to action tomorrow in Florida with two more games. Geneva faces Buena Vista at 9:00 a.m., followed by a game against Bluffton at 11:15 a.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).
