BEREA, Ohio – The Geneva softball program lost two games to Baldwin Wallace University this afternoon, falling 9-1 in game one before dropping the second game 6-5 in extra innings. The losses move Geneva's overall record to 15-7, while their Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) record remains at 4-4. The Yellow Jackets continue their strong performance this year, moving up to 13-1 on the season.
The women started off slow in game one and never really found their footing. In fact, the Golden Tornadoes had only put two runners on base through the fifth inning, both via walks, and Baldwin Wallace had built up a 7-0 lead.
Geneva did manage to score in the sixth inning, after sophomore
Makenna Redfern opened with a walk and sophomore
Molly Shelley popped a single to leftfield in the first two plate appearances of the frame. A Yellow Jacket error allowed Redfern to come home and score in the next at-bat, but that was the only offense the GTs' lineup could muster all game, and they lost game one 9-1.
The start of game two was a completely different story for the Golden Tornadoes, who got on the board early with two runs in the first inning. Shelley opened the game with a leadoff triple, and she came home on the next play on junior
Madison Rapp's grounder to the shortstop. An RBI-single from senior
Megan Gray later in the inning scored graduate student
Julia Hart, and the GTs were up 2-0 right off the bat.
The Yellow Jackets put up one run in the bottom of the frame, but Geneva came right back with two more runs in the second inning on a two-run home run by Shelley. Unfortunately, that was where the scoring would end for a while for the women, as Baldwin Wallace proceeded to put up three runs over the next three innings to tie the score at 4-4.
Neither side was able to break the tie over the next three innings, thanks in large part to solid pitching from Geneva's starter, junior
Sophia Tvaroch, and her reliever, junior
McKenzie Rapp. The score was still knotted after seven innings, forcing the two teams to go to extras.
An RBI-double by junior
Justine Robbins drove home junior
Lexi Zanic in the top of the eighth inning, giving the GTs an all-important 5-4 advantage. The Golden Tornadoes were able to load up the bases with two outs later on in the frame, but Baldwin Wallace managed to retire the side to give the home side a chance in the bottom of the inning. The Yellow Jackets went on to score twice, winning the game in walk-off fashion, 6-5.
Shelley led the way at the plate for Geneva, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Both Robbins and Rapp went 2-for-3 offensively, each driving in a run as well, while Robbins had two doubles and Rapp one. Tvaroch pitched 5.0 innings in her start, allowing four runs, three earned, while striking out two. Rapp got tagged with the loss in relief after giving up two runs, one earned, in 2.0 innings pitched.
The women will not take the field again until Tuesday, April 8
th, when they face off against W&J in a home doubleheader, currently set to begin at 3:30.
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).
