BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It's been a good week so far for the Geneva College softball team. Two days after picking up a road doubleheader sweep at Grove City, the Golden Tornadoes accomplished the same feat at W&J on Wednesday afternoon. Geneva won a high-scoring affair in game one, 11-8, and then sophomore McKenzie Rapp delivered a complete-game shutout in game two to enable the women to prevail, 6-0. Geneva improved to 11-11 on the season, 5-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
The first game was a pitchers' duel early on. Sophomore Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle, and she held the Presidents in check for the first three innings.
Geneva got on the board in the top of the third when freshman Molly Shelley scored on a double steal. A home run in the bottom of the fourth, though, pulled the Presidents level as the two teams headed into the fifth inning tied 1-1.
After strong pitching by both starters through the first four innings, the hitters took over in the fifth inning. Shelley singled home sophomore Madison Rapp, and then Shelley stole second and third base and scored on an RBI-groundout from freshman Kyra Wilcox. The next two batters got on, and sophomore Justine Robbins brought them both home with a double. That gave Geneva a seemingly comfortable 5-1 edge.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tvaroch appeared to be in full control, getting two outs sandwiched around an error and a hit, but she couldn't get the elusive third out. The next five batters reached base, with the Presidents scoring six times to take a 7-5 lead, and graduate student Haley Smith eventually relieved Tvaroch for the final out.
The Geneva offense didn't let up, though. Junior Megan Gray opened the top of the sixth with a double, and Rapp followed with an RBI-double. Sophomore Lexi Zanic followed with a single, and Shelley and seniors Elishea Reed and Julia Hart delivered RBIs later in the inning to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 9-7.
W&J got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within one, but the Geneva offense kept producing in the top of the seventh. Geneva loaded the bases with two outs, and sophomore Jorja Koerner's pinch-hit single delivered two more insurance runs for the Golden Tornadoes.
McKenzie Rapp relieved Smith and secured the final three outs to pick up the save.
Madison Rapp led the offense with three hits and three runs. Shelley finished with two hits, three runs, four steals and two RBIs. Hart, Gray and freshman Aliya Ottaviani also added two hits apiece as the Golden Tornadoes finished with 16 hits.
McKenzie Rapp got the start in the circle in game two, and she shut down the Presidents' offense. Zanic gave Rapp some early run support in the second inning with a bases-clearing, two-out double to give Geneva a 3-0 lead. That would prove to be more than enough runs for Rapp.
The Geneva offense added to their lead one inning later. Hart drove home Reed with an RBI-triple, and Hart came home on a sacrifice fly from Robbins to increase Geneva's edge to 5-0. The Golden Tornadoes wrapped up the scoring on a sacrifice fly from Hart in the top of the seventh, winning 6-0 behind Rapp's strong outing.
Rapp gave up just six hits through her seven shutout innings, getting good work from the defense behind her, including Zanic from her shortstop position. Zanic finished with six assists, which included the game-ending double play. Rapp improved her record to 5-2 with the victory.
Gray sophomore Alex Guzman led the offensive attack with two hits each, while Zanic drove in three runs and Hart two runs for the Golden Tornadoes.
Geneva will be back in action this Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes host reigning PAC Champion Waynesburg for a doubleheader starting at 3:00 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).
