BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – After over a month of road and neutral site games, Geneva College baseball finally returned home, playing host to Grove City College on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the Wolverines proved to be too much for Geneva as they won both games, 7-2 and 9-4. Following a successful start to the season, the Golden Tornadoes have struggled since beginning Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play, and they are now even at 9-9 on the season, 0-6 in the PAC. Grove City, on the flip side, is now 14-7, 5-1 in PAC play.

Senior Caleb Graft got the nod on the mound for Geneva in game one, and he was stellar through the first four innings, not allowing a run to a very strong Grove City side. Unfortunately, the offense could not provide him with any run support during that stretch, and a run apiece for the Wolverines in innings five and six gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. Graft was replaced midway through the seventh inning, and Grove City scored two more runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to go in front 6-0. It wasn't until the bottom of the eighth that Geneva finally got on the board.

Senior Connor O'Brien reached on an error to lead off the side for the GTs, and after senior Eric Gonzalez laced a single down the right field line the men had runners on first and second. The next two Geneva batters struck out, but it was junior Kirk Bearjar who had the big hit before the end of the inning, knocking an RBI-single into centerfield to score O'Brien. Gonzalez whacked an RBI-single of his own in the bottom of the ninth inning after Grove City scored once more, and the game ended with Grove City taking a 7-2 victory.

Despite receiving the loss, Graft pitched a solid 6.1 innings in his start, allowing four runs, all earned, while striking out four batters. Gonzalez was Geneva's top batter in game one, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Sophomore Michael Twigg was the only other Tornado batter to muster multiple hits.

It was Geneva who took an early lead in game two, with an RBI-single off the bat of O'Brien driving in Babu in the second inning. Grove City responded with a run of their own in the third inning, but senior Zach Lemansky held the Wolverines at bay with excellent pitching to keep them from taking the lead. O'Brien drove home another run with an RBI-double in the fourth to give the advantage back to the GTs, and the men found themselves in front 2-1 after four innings.

Lemansky had to leave the game with an apparent arm injury in the top of the sixth inning, and things went downhill for the Golden Tornadoes after that. The visitors pushed six runs across the plate in that frame, and after Twigg hit an RBI-double to bring home Babu in the bottom of the inning the score was 7-3 Grove City after six.

The Wolverines scored one more run each in the seventh and ninth innings to maintain their momentum. Sophomore Bradley McGuire pulled an RBI-single into left field in the ninth inning to give Geneva another run, but the men couldn't put together much more than that and lost game two 9-4.

Lemansky pitched 5.0 innings on the day, allowing two runs on just three hits while striking out three. O'Brien was a solid 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs, with Babu and senior Zack Sackett each posting two hits. Babu scored two runs as well in the loss.

The men remain at home for their next two games, a doubleheader against Chatham University on Wednesday, April 2, with game one scheduled for 1:00 p.m. After that, they travel to Franciscan for another doubleheader the following Saturday.

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).