FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team split its two games in Florida on Friday, defeating RIT 7-2 in the first game before suffering a frustrating 2-1 loss to Alfred State in the second game of the day.  The women are now 6-2 on the season.

In game one of the day, senior McKenzie Rapp got the start in the circle, and RIT jumped on her early with two runs through the first four batters.  Rapp settled down, though, after the early traffic and didn't allow a hit through the next four innings.

The Geneva offense responded in the bottom the inning.  Junior Molly Shelley led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch.  The Golden Tornadoes added a second run on a bases loaded walk by junior Faith Bonar, evening the score at 2-2.

Rapp sailed through the next four innings, with just one batter reaching base on an error.

Geneva took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when junior Kyra Wilcox's sacrifice fly brought home freshman Keira Rodu.

The women took control of the game in the fifth, courtesy some poor play from RIT.  Geneva scored three times on two walks, four Tiger errors and a single by Rodu, with senior Justine Robbins and juniors Aliya Ottaviani and Malerie Branson each scoring.

Geneva added an insurance run in the sixth when Robbins led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch.

Rapp finished off the game from there, pitching all seven innings while giving up just four hits and two runs, striking out four.  She earned her third victory of the season.

Shelley, Ottaviani and Rodu led the offense with two hits apiece.

Geneva took on Alfred State in the second game of the day, and it proved to be a frustrating one for the Golden Tornadoes.  The women did manage to push across a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly from Robbins that brought home Wilcox, but that was all the offense Geneva could manage in the game.

Sophomore Micaiah Armstrong took the ball in the circle and struggled with her command in the first inning, walking three runners but getting out the inning by limiting the damage to one run.  Armstrong settled down after the first inning, though, keeping Alfred State off the board through the rest of her three-inning outing.

The Geneva offense struggled in the game, though, getting runners on base but unable to capitalize.  Alfred State broke through with a two-out hit in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead.

The Golden Tornadoes had a great chance to respond in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with one out with the heart of the lineup up, but a pop-up and a groundout ended the game, with Geneva falling 2-1.

Geneva outhit Alfred State 7-4, but the Golden Tornadoes left nine runners on base.  Wilcox was the standout performer in game two, finishing with three hits.  Senior Alena Campbell took the loss despite a strong relief outing in which she pitched three innings and gave up just two hits and a run.

Geneva will get a chance to rebound immediately tomorrow when the Golden Tornadoes face Alfred State again at 11:00 a.m., followed by a game against Crown College at 1:00 p.m.