ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Geneva College softball team split its opening two games at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Midwest Regional on Tuesday afternoon, hosted at Concordia (MI) University.  Geneva defeated Grace Christian 10-2 in five innings in the opening game before falling to #1 Concordia 8-0 in six innings in game two.  Geneva will take on Grace Christian again tomorrow in an elimination game.
 
In game one of the day against Grace Christian, sophomore Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle, but she struggled with her command while battling the early rain in the game.  After retiring the first batter, a single and three straight walks allowed Grace to get on the board and forced Head Coach Van Zanic to make an early change, bringing in sophomore Alena Campbell.  Campbell got out of the jam without allowing further damage, and the Geneva offense quickly responded.
 
Freshman Molly Shelley worked a walk after seeing ten pitches to lead off the bottom of the first, and sophomore Lexi Zanic singled to put two runners on.  Senior Julia Hart was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then sophomore Justine Robbins sent a blast over the left field fence for a grand slam, giving the Golden Tornadoes a quick 4-1 lead.
 
Campbell kept the Tiger offense in check, and Geneva put up another big inning in the bottom the second.  Sophomore Alex Guzman led off with a single, and she scored on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt from sophomore Kyra Wilcox.  Shelley drove in Wilcox later in the inning with an RBI-groundout.  Four batters later, sophomore Madison Rapp singled home both Zanic and Robbins, and junior Megan Gray drove in the final run of the inning with an RBI-single.
 
Freshman Callie Mangan drove in the final run of the game for Geneva in the bottom of the third on a fielder's choice, and sophomore Jorja Koerner closed out the win with two innings of work, giving up just one run, in the 10-2 victory.
 
Campbell earned her second win of the season with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.
 
Zanic led the offense with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, scoring twice.  Robbins had the big first-inning blast, while Guzman added two hits as Geneva was able to get almost its whole roster into the game for some playing time.
 
Game two against the top-ranked team in the NCCAA, Concordia, was a much tougher task for the Golden Tornadoes.  Sophomore McKenzie Rapp got the start and kept the Cardinals scoreless in the first inning, but Concordia got on the board with two runs in second inning. 
 
The Cardinals broke the game open with a three-run home run in the third inning, and Geneva could never get any offense going against Concordia starter Paige Anderson, who limited the Golden Tornadoes to just one hit, a double from Guzman, in the 8-0 victory.
 
Geneva will take on Grace Christian at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.  If the Golden Tornadoes win that game, they will have to defeat Concordia twice to earn the automatic bid to the NCCAA National Tournament.


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).