NAPLES, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team got its season underway on Monday morning down in Florida while the team is on Spring Break, and the Golden Tornadoes came through with two victories to celebrate on opening day.  Geneva defeated Lesley 11-2 in game one, and then the Golden Tornadoes defeated Rockford 9-8 in eight innings in game two.

Geneva took control early in the first game of the day against Lesley.  The Golden Tornadoes scored twice in the first inning on RBIs from junior Lexi Zanic and graduate student Julia Hart.

Geneva then broke the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the second inning, grabbing a 10-0 lead after two frames.  Sophomore Aliya Ottaviani got the scoring started with a two-run home run, and two batters later, sophomore Molly Shelley added her own two-run home run.  Zanic added an RBI-single, junior Justine Robbins drove home Zanic with a double, senior Megan Gray followed with an RBI-double, and freshman Stacey Rodriguez score the eighth run of the inning on a wild pitch.

That was plenty of run support for junior starting pitcher McKenzie Rapp.  Lesley managed to push an unearned run across in the third inning for the only run of the game against Rapp.  Each team added one more run before the game was called after five innings, 11-2.

Shelley and Zanic led the offense for Geneva.  Shelley finished 1-for-1 with a home run, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs, while Zanic finished 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs.  Robbins also added two hits to the attack, while Ottaviani drove in two with her home run.

Rapp earned the win with three innings of work, giving up just two hits and one unearned run, while striking out four.

In game two, Geneva jumped ahead again early, scoring five times in the top of the second, aided by a key Rockford error.  Ottaviani and Rodriguez provided early hits to drive in runs, and then with two outs and two on, Rockford's left fielder dropped Shelley's fly ball, allowing both Rodriguez and sophomore Malerie Branson to score.  Zanic then drove home Shelley to give the Golden Tornadoes an early 5-0 lead.

Junior Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle, and she breezed through the first two innings before running into trouble in the third.  Rockford scored three times to pull within 5-3.

Geneva immediately answered in the top of the fourth.  Branson and Shelley led off with singles, and Zanic continued her strong day by driving in both with an RBI-double.

However, Rockford responded in the bottom of the frame, scoring three more runs while knocking out Tvaroch in the process.  The Regents eventually pulled even at 7-7 with a run in the bottom of the sixth, and after a scoreless seventh inning for both teams, the game went into extra innings.

Rodriguez was placed at second base to start the eighth inning, and she came around to score on a pop fly by Shelley to shallow right-centerfield that the second baseman couldn't hang on to.  Shelley then stole second and came all the way around to score when the catcher's throw down to second base hit off Shelley and caromed into the outfield.

The two runs proved enough for Rapp, who came into the game in relief to start the seventh inning.  Rockford's placed runner at the start of the frame did come around to score, but Rapp retired the side in order to close out her second win of the day.

Zanic again led the offense in game two, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs.  Junior Madison Rapp added three hits, while Rodriguez and Branson each contributed two hits and two runs.  Shelley scored three times.  Rapp earned the win with two hitless innings of relief.

The women will return right back into action tomorrow morning with two more games.  Geneva faces SUNY Cobleskill at 9:00 a.m., followed by a game against RIT at 11:00 a.m.