NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College baseball team fell to Geneva, 8-1 in game one and 10-7 in game two, in a home doubleheader Saturday.
Geneva (10-17, 6-15 PAC) carried all the offensive momentum in the game one, scoring all eight of their runs unanswered throughout the first six innings. In the eighth, senior Tyler Barnot (Pittsburgh, PA / Bethel Park) put Westminster (11-17, 7-14 PAC) on the board with a sac-fly to center field to send first-year Logan Murgenovich (Aliquippa, PA / Central Valley) home, giving Westminster (11-17, 7-14 PAC) their lone run of the first game. Junior pitcher Paul Midili (Spring Hill, FL / Bishop Mclaughlin Catholic) got the start on the mound for the Titans and pitched 3.2 innings, giving up four runs off four hits and striking out one. Juniors Austin Webb (Wadsworth, OH / Wadsworth and Mike Grazier (Austintown, OH / Austintown Fitch) each contributed two hits for Westminster.
In game two, Geneva jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first, but the Titans struck back in the bottom of the first when first-year Jayneil Latham (Pittsburgh, PA / Brentwood) scored off an error. Geneva went on a 6-0 run over the next five innings before junior Brandon Cooper (Oakdale, PA / West Allegheny) hit a two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth to cut into the lead and set the score at 10-3. The Titans kept bringing the heat in the sixth, scoring two more runs, courtesy of an RBI-single by first-year Cooper Krawczyk (Lewiston, NY / Lewiston-Porter) followed by a Krawczyk run after junior Logan Fordyce(Cuyahoga Falls, OH / Cuyahoga Falls) grounded into a double play. Westminster went on to score two more runs in the seventh off a two-RBI single by first-year Chase Tomko (Hermitage, PA / West Middlesex Area), but their comeback attempt fell short and the Golden Tornadoes held on, 10-7. First- year pitcher Kolton Banfi (Harrisville, PA / Franklin) started for the Titans, tossing three innings, giving up seven runs and eight hits. On offense, Westminster was led by Cooper and Tomko, who tallied two RBIs apiece.
Westminster will be back in action for a road doubleheader at Saint Vincent Saturday, May 1. Game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.
