NAPLES, Fla. – Senior McKenzie Rapp delivered a sterling performance in the circle for the Geneva College softball team on Tuesday, allowing the Golden Tornadoes to finish the day with a split of their two games.  The women opened the day by suffering their first loss of the season, falling 5-2 to undefeated Drew, but Rapp came through with a complete-game shutout against Saint Joseph in the second game of the day as Geneva held on for a 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays.  Geneva is now 3-1 on the season.

In game one of the day against a Drew squad that came in with a perfect 4-0 record, with all four victories coming by at least seven runs, Geneva got on the board in the top of the first inning when junior Molly Shelley once again singled and then stole both second and third base.  She then scored on an error to give the Golden Tornadoes the early lead.

Drew responded in the bottom of the inning against senior starter Sophia Tvaroch.  The first two batters reached successfully and both eventually came around to score to put Geneva in its first deficit of the season.

The Golden Tornadoes had runners on base over the next several innings and had opportunities to put together a big inning to retake the lead, but Geneva couldn't get the big hit when it needed it, including loading the bases with one out in the fourth but coming up empty.

Drew added a run in the bottom of the third to increase its lead to 3-1, but Geneva got that run back in the top of the fifth when junior Faith Bonar hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Shelley.  The Golden Tornadoes left two runners in scoring position, though.

The Rangers responded in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of a Geneva error to score two unearned runs and extend their lead to 5-2.

The Golden Tornadoes tried to rally in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but Geneva couldn't come through with the key hit late and fell 5-2.

Geneva left 11 runners on base, totaling nine hits and five walks, compared to just seven hits and one walk for Drew.  Shelley led the offense with two hits, two runs and two stolen bases.  Junior Kyra Wilcox also added two hits.

In the second game of the day against Saint Joseph, senior McKenzie Rapp got the ball in the circle and she was impressive throughout, not allowing a hit through the first four innings. 

Geneva's offense got on the board in the bottom of the third when senior Lexi Zanic delivered a two-run single to score Shelley and senior Payton James.

The Golden Tornadoes had more opportunities to extend their lead over the next few innings, but Geneva could not push any more runs across the plate.

Thankfully for the Golden Tornadoes, Rapp ensured those two runs would hold up, though not without some nervous moments in the final inning.

The Blue Jays, who had managed just two hits off Rapp through the first six innings, came up with three singles in the top of the seventh, the last hit coming with two outs to load the bases.  But Rapp induced a flyout to right to finish off the shutout, 2-0.

Rapp pitched all seven innings while giving up just five hits and a walk, striking out six, picking up her second victory in as many days.

Wilcox and Zanic led the offense with two hits apiece.

The women will enjoy a day off on Wednesday before returning to action on Thursday with games against two familiar schools from Pennsylvania, Pitt-Bradford and La Roche.