BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team had an offensive outburst on Friday afternoon in its doubleheader sweep of visiting Kent State Tuscarawas, with the Golden Tornadoes winning by scores of 19-6 and 20-3. Geneva improved to 13-15 with the wins.
Junior Jeff Hawkins got the start in game one, and after working out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the inning, Geneva's offense went to work. The Golden Tornadoes got on the board in the first inning courtesy a leadoff triple by freshman Michael Twigg, and he came in to score on an RBI-groundout from senior Tim Hermansen.
Twigg drove home two more runs in his next plate appearance in the bottom of the second, delivering an RBI-single. Hawkins kept the Tuscarawas offense in check, and Geneva's offense kept scoring runs.
Sophomore Kirk Bearjar homered with one out in the bottom of the third, and junior Zach Lemansky and freshman Bradley McGuire followed with back-to-back doubles to increase the lead to 5-0.
Tuscarawas got on the board in the top of the fourth with a couple of two-out runs, but the Golden Tornadoes quickly got those runs back, and a few more, in the bottom of the frame. Junior Zack Sackett, along with Lemansky and McGuire, provided RBIs, and a couple Tuscarawas errors helped build the lead to 10-2.
Geneva broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth with seven more runs. Hermansen, Bearjar, junior Eric Gonzalez, sophomore Anthony Snyder and freshmen Mason Gump and Noah Gonzales all had RBIs in the big inning.
Each team scored multiple runs in the sixth inning before Geneva closed out the 19-6 win.
Hawkins earned his third win of the season, pitching five innings while giving up just two hits and two runs, striking out five.
Twigg led the offense with three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Bearjar, Lemansky, McGuire and sophomore Aaron Babu each added two hits, while Bearjar and Lemansky each scored three runs.
Freshman Caleb Cox got the start for Geneva in game two, and Tuscarawas pushed across an early in the top of the first. However, Geneva exploded for a huge inning in the bottom of the frame.
The Golden Tornadoes scored ten times in the first inning. After the first batter was retired, the next 12 Golden Tornadoes reached base on six hits, four walks and two hit batters. McGuire drove in two with a double, while freshman Josh Hull cleared the bases later in the inning with a double of his own.
Geneva added four more runs in the bottom of the second inning, helped by a couple Tuscarawas errors. The Golden Tornadoes reached 20 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on RBIs from Snyder, senior Harrison Burns, sophomore Ethan Blair and freshman Jonathan Dysinger.
The game was called after Tuscarawas was retired in the top of the sixth due to encroaching darkness. Senior Joshua Kearns earned the win with three scoreless innings of one-hit relief.
Sackett had the big game offensively in game two, going 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and four RBIs. Hull added two hits, while Hull and McGuire each drove in three runs apiece.
Geneva will be right back in action tomorrow when the Golden Tornadoes host Westminster at 1:00 p.m. for a 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).
