BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College baseball team notched another Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader split on Friday afternoon, defeating Westminster College 8-7 in game one before dropping the second game to the Titans 7-2. Freshman
Simon Wehr played the hero in the victory, blasting a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the men the win. Geneva's overall record now stands at 14-15, and the GTs are 4-12 in PAC play, while Westminster moves to 14-16 overall, 9-7 in the PAC.
The Golden Tornadoes struck first in game one. After senior
Caleb Graft pitched a scoreless first inning, senior
Zack Sackett punched a lead-off single to open the bottom of the frame, coming home a few batters later via an RBI-hit by senior
Eric Gonzalez. Unfortunately, Westminster tied it in the next inning, and then the Titans scored three more times in the third to seize a 4-1 advantage.
Gonzalez came up big again for Geneva in the fifth inning, poking an RBI-single into right field to score junior
Aaron Babu and cut the GTs' deficit in half. Westminster plated another run in the top of the sixth, but the Golden Tornadoes weren't phased. Babu singled through the left side in the bottom of the frame to score a run, making it 5-3, and then a two-RBI single from sophomore
Michael Twigg with two outs in the inning tied the game. Each team scored twice in the seventh inning, putting the score at 7-7.
Junior
Eric Keaton entered the game in relief for Geneva in the eighth inning, and he pitched two scoreless frames to keep the game tied and give the men a chance in the bottom of the ninth, striking out the last two Westminster batters. The Titans retired the first two Golden Tornadoes, but then a Westminster error allowed senior
Connor O'Brien to reach base and continue the inning. O'Brien stole second base to get into scoring position, and then a booming double from Wehr in the next at-bat sent him home, with Geneva winning the game in walk-off fashion, 8-7.
Graft pitched 6.0 solid innings in his start, allowing three earned runs, five total, on nine hits. Keaton got credited with the victory, his fourth of the year, with 2.0 scoreless innings and three strikeouts. Babu led the men at the plate, going an impressive 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Wehr, Gonzalez, and Twigg all finished with multiple RBIs in the win.
Geneva was the first to score once again in game two, with Twigg smashing a double to deep center field before coming home on the next play thanks to an RBI-single from senior
Zach Lemansky. Unfortunately, that would be the only run the men could muster until the eighth inning.
Trailing 7-1 in the eighth, Twigg and Lemansky led off the bottom of the frame with two straight hit-by-pitches. Gonzalez advanced Twigg on a groundout, and junior
Kirk Bearjar singled him home on the next at-bat to give the Golden Tornadoes their final run of the day. Geneva lost game two 7-2.
Sophomore
Dylan Rowe started for the men, allowing four earned runs, five total, in 7.0 innings of work. Westminster's starter, Tyson Djakovich, almost went the complete game, tossing 8.0 excellent innings versus the GTs. Bearjar was the only Golden Tornado who managed multiple hits in the loss.
Geneva wraps up its eight-game homestand with a non-conference doubleheader versus Penn State New Kensington on Tuesday, April 22
nd. Game one is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. After that, the men are on the road for a doubleheader with Waynesburg the following Friday.
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).
