NAPLES, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team continued its strong start to the season on Friday, adding two more convincing wins to its season total while playing in Florida over Spring Break.  The Golden Tornadoes opened the day by defeating Alfred State 7-2, and then the ladies wrapped up the day with a 9-1 win in six innings over SUNY Potsdam.  Geneva's record is now 7-1, the best start to a season in the 23-year career of Head Coach Van Zanic.

In game one against Alfred State, Geneva jumped ahead early with three runs in the top of the first.  Junior Lexi Zanic drove home sophomore Kyra Wilcox with a double, graduate student Julia Hart singled home Zanic, and later in the inning, after a single from junior Justine Robbins and a walk to junior Madison Rapp loaded the bases, a wild pitch scored Hart.

Freshman Micaiah Armstrong got the start in the circle for the Golden Tornadoes, and she cruised through the first three innings while only allowing one hit.  Geneva added a run in the second on an RBI-groundout from Wilcox that scored sophomore Molly Shelley.

Alfred State's offense stirred in the fourth inning, scoring one run, but junior Alena Campbell relieved Armstrong and got out of a jam without allowing any further damage.

Geneva got that run back, plus one more, in the top of the fifth on a single from Rapp that drove home Zanic and freshman Stacey Rodriguez. 

Alfred State scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, but Geneva added one more insurance run in the top of the seventh on another RBI-single from Rapp.  Junior McKenzie Rapp pitched the final two innings to close out the victory for Geneva.

Campbell earned her first win of the season with 1.2 innings of relief.  Armstrong finished with a strong line as well, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up just two hits and one run.

Madison Rapp led the offense with two hits, a walk and three RBIs.  Zanic, Hart, Robbins and sophomore Callie Mangan each also added two hits apiece, with Zanic scoring twice.  Shelley added two more stolen bases to her season total.

Junior Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle in game two against SUNY Potsdam, and she pitched a very strong game.  She retired the side in order in the top of the first, and the Geneva offense provided her with some immediate run support.

Shelley led off the game with a single and promptly stole second.  She went to third on a single from Wilcox, who also then stole second base.  Shelley scored on an RBI-ground from Zanic, and then Wilcox scored on an RBI-groundout from Hart.

Potsdam pushed across its only run of the game in the top of the second after the first two batters reached, but Geneva added to its lead with two more runs in the bottom of the third.  Wilcox led off with a double and scored on an RBI-single from Zanic, and Zanic came around to score on an RBI-single from Rapp.

The Golden Tornadoes broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four times.  Hart and Robbins opened the inning with singles, and later in the inning Mangan plated two runners with a double.  Three batters later, Shelley drove in two more runs with a single to make it 8-1.

Geneva finished off the game, invoking the mercy rule, in the bottom of the sixth by increasing its lead to eight runs, 9-1, on another RBI-single from Rapp, her fifth run driven in over the two games.

Tvaroch earned a complete-game victory, pitching all six innings while giving up just three hits and one run, striking out seven batters.

Wilcox led the offense with a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the plate, while scoring twice.  Robbins also was not retired, going 3-for-3.  Shelley, Zanic, Hart and Rapp all added two hits apiece as Geneva finished with 16 hits total.  Shelley, Zanic, Rapp and Mangan each drove in two runs.

The women will be back in action tomorrow with games against Alverno and Crown, beginning at 9:00 a.m.