STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Geneva College softball team got excellent pitching on a chilly afternoon on Saturday at Franciscan, with the Golden Tornadoes not allowing a run on the day with shutouts of 2-0 and 8-0. Geneva improved to 26-11 this year, 13-7 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play.
Junior McKenzie Rapp got the start in the circle in game one, and she continued her recent strong pitching performances with another excellent outing.
Junior Justine Robbins got Geneva on the board in the top of the second when she hit a blast that cleared the centerfield fence for a solo home run.
Geneva got a second run in the third when sophomore Kyra Wilcox opened the inning with a double and came home to score on an RBI-single from junior Payton James.
Those runs would be all that Rapp would need to secure the victory as she pitched a complete-game shutout to earn her 12th win of the season. She allowed seven hits while striking out five. Wilcox contributed two of Geneva's five hits on offense.
Junior Sophia Tvaroch got the start in the circle in game two, and she was just as excellent as Rapp was in game one. She did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, and the Golden Tornadoes provided her with some early run support.
Sophomore Molly Shelley led off the game with a double, and two batters later she scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Lexi Zanic.
Geneva took advantage of some command issues in the second inning from Franciscan starter Hayley Cook. Cook walked the first three batters of the second inning, and all three came around to score. Sophomore Malerie Branson and Wilcox each drove in one with a sacrifice fly, while the third scored on a wild pitch.
The Golden Tornadoes broke the game open in the top of the seventh. Shelley opened the inning with a home run down the left field line. James and Zanic followed with singles, and then graduate student Julia Hart crushed one over the left-field wall for a 3-run home run.
Tvaroch finished off the complete-game effort with a scoreless seventh inning for her 10th win and second shutout of the season. She allowed just four singles, and a runner didn't reach second base until the seventh inning. Tvaroch also struck out five Barons.
Shelley led the offense with a 3-for-4 effort, with a double, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Hart added two hits, including the home run, while driving in three runs.
The softball team added a doubleheader at La Roche on Monday starting at 3:30 p.m. Geneva won't find out the final bracket for the upcoming PAC playoffs until all the games on Saturday are complete, but the Golden Tornadoes will likely be the third seed, with play starting next Thursday at Grove City. A total of six teams make the double elimination tournament, with the top two teams receiving byes in the opening round.
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).
