BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva baseball program got its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win of the season Wednesday afternoon, taking game one over Chatham University 10-2 before falling to the Cougars 7-6 in game two. A passing thunderstorm delayed game one for roughly two and a half hours midway through the sixth inning, but the GTs maintained their focus after the break to earn the split. Geneva's record now stands at an even 10-10 overall, 1-7 in conference play, while Chatham is 11-13, 3-5 in the PAC.
Chatham scored once in the top of the first inning to take a very early lead in game one, but the Golden Tornadoes hit right back with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Junior
Aaron Babu reached base with a leadoff single and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by senior
Zack Sackett. With one man on and two outs, sophomore
Michael Twigg ripped a home run to deep left field, and the men found themselves up 3-1 after one.
Another Chatham run in the top of the second brought them within one, but that proved to be all the scoring the Cougars could muster in the first game, with junior
Eric Keaton pitching well from that point onward after getting the start. Sackett collected another RBI in the bottom of the inning on a single through the left side, which made it a two-run game once again.
The Golden Tornadoes struck next in the fourth inning when freshman
Marco Chenet came around to score after his leadoff single on a fielder's choice. Sackett notched yet another RBI on an opposite-field single in the next at-bat, and Geneva left the fourth inning with a solid 6-2 edge.
The rain delay in the sixth inning did not slow down the GTs at all, as they scored three more times in the very next frame. Chatham walked home a runner with the bases loaded and nobody out, and then Babu punched a two-RBI single into right field to make it a seven-run game. Senior
Zach Lemansky sent one more run across the plate in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly, and Geneva coasted the rest of the way to a 10-2 game one victory.
Keaton earned the win in his start, moving to 2-1 on the season. He pitched 6.0 quality innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out three. He was relieved by senior
Caleb Graft, who finished off the game with 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball to earn the save. Sackett was the highlight offensively for Geneva, going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs. Lemansky was also 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Babu recorded two RBIs on a 3-for-5 effort as well.
Sophomore
Dylan Rowe got the nod for the Golden Tornadoes in game two, and he pitched well outside of a four-run third inning from the Cougars. It took Geneva until the fifth inning to get on the board thanks to some excellent Chatham pitching, but once the men got their bats going they exploded. Lemansky led off the frame with a double, and a single by senior
Connor O'Brien put men on second and third with nobody out. Chenet ripped a single down the line to send home Lemansky, and Babu had an RBI-single to score O'Brien just two batters later. The Chatham pitcher walked in two runs with the bases loaded, and then a wild pitch allowed Babu to score, sending Geneva in front 5-4 after five innings.
The Cougars knotted the score at six runs in the top of the sixth, and there it would remain until the eighth inning thanks to two scoreless innings of relief from senior
Jeff Hawkins. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Chenet sent a rocket to left field for an RBI-double to give Geneva the lead, but the Golden Tornadoes' positive outlook was squashed after a baserunning error ended the inning a few minutes later.
Chatham scored twice more in the top of the ninth inning, and the GTs could not respond in the bottom half of the frame. The Cougars took game two, 7-6.
Chenet was the only Geneva batter to manage multiple hits in game two, with his 3-for-4, two-RBI effort the biggest bright spot for Geneva's offense. Lemansky was 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI-double in the loss.
Geneva is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Franciscan on Saturday, April 5
th, with the start times set for 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Potential rain will dictate whether or not those games are postponed.
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).
