NAPLES, Fla. – The Geneva College softball team convincingly won both its games on Saturday in Florida behind strong starting pitching and timely hitting, adding two victories to its record. The Golden Tornadoes defeated Alfred State 8-0 in five innings in game one, and the women followed that up with a 15-5 win over Crown. Geneva is now 8-2 on the year.
Senior starting pitcher Sophia Tvaroch was the story for the Golden Tornadoes in game one against Alfred State. She was dominant from the start, never allowing the Alfred State offense a chance.
Geneva got on the board in the bottom of the second courtesy an error that allowed seniors Payton James and Mallie Ruscitti to score.
The Golden Tornadoes broke the game open in the fourth inning with five runs, with the aid of three more Alfred State errors. Junior Aliya Ottaviani led off the inning with a single and later scored on an error. James and Ruscitti both scored after reaching base, with senior Lexi Zanic delivering an RBI-single. Senior Justine Robbins wrapped up the scoring with a 2-run single to increase Geneva's lead to 7-0.
Tvaroch sailed through the Alfred State lineup, giving up just two hits while striking out 11 batters through just five innings, tying her career high in punch outs. When sophomore Stacey Rodriguez scored in the bottom the fifth, it finished the game off, 8-0. Tvaroch earned the victory, striking out the side in both the fourth and fifth innings.
In game two of the day against Crown, who came in with an impressive 10-3 overall record, Geneva jumped on the Polars in the top of the first. Robbins drove home junior Kyra Wilcox with a single, James brought home Zanic with a single, and the final run of the inning came in when Ottaviani came home on a double steal.
Senior McKenzie Rapp was almost as impressive in the circle as Tvaroch was in game one, retiring the first seven batters she faced.
The Golden Tornadoes put together their biggest inning of the young season in the top of the third, scoring eight times to take command of the game. Robbins scored on a passed ball, junior Faith Bonar drove home two with a double, sophomore Isabela Skrlac, Zanic and Robbins all delivered an RBI-singles to drive home four more runs, and junior Callie Mangan brought home the final run of the big inning with a single.
Crown broke through against the Geneva relief pitching with five runs, but the Golden Tornadoes kept adding runs. Sophomore Lydia Shaffer scored on an error in the fourth inning, and Geneva wrapped up the scoring in the seventh with a sacrifice fly from freshman Keira Rodu and a 2-run single from Mangan to win 15-5.
Rapp was pulled after three innings with Geneva holding a big lead, giving up just two hits and a run in the three frames. Sophomore Addison Zimmerman earned her first career victory with two perfect innings of relief, striking out three.
Robbins had a big day at the plate to lead the offense, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Mangan added a 2-for-3 effort offensively with three RBIs as the Golden Tornadoes were able to get the bulk of their deep roster into the game for at least an inning or two.
Geneva wraps up its time in Florida on Monday with games against Westfield State and St. Joseph's Brooklyn, starting at 9:00 a.m.
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).
