The Golden Eagles offense had trouble keeping pace with the live bats of Geneva College on Friday afternoon, dropping a doubleheader by scores of 19-6 and 20-3 in Beaver Falls, PA.
In the top of the first inning of the opening game KSU Tusc loaded the bases with two outs but failed to get a run across the plate. The Golden Tornadoes led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and pushed a run home on an infield ground out to take an early 1-0 lead.
A walk, defensive interference call, along with three singles scored two more Geneva runs in the second for a 3-0 lead, and they added a pair of runs via a solo homerun and two doubles in the third for a 5-0 advantage.
KSU Tusc finally got on the board in the visiting half of the fourth frame when Brandon Maine singled and Caleb Campbell was awarded first base on a hit by pitch. The Eagles successfully pulled off a double steal and both runners scored on an error by the Tornadoes shortstop to cut the lead to 5-2.
Geneva responded with five runs by belting out three singles and a double to go along with two hit batsmen to stretch the lead to 10-2. And, after the KSU went quietly in the fifth, the cyclones exploded for seven runs by capitalizing on five walks, an infield error and four singles to blow the game open at 17-2.
Caleb Salgado led off the Eagles sixth inning with a single to center and moved to third on a ground out. He scored on Andrew Powell's single. Powell then stole second base and crossed the plate when Campbell lined a single to center. Steve Michniak was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second and a double steal put KSU runners on second and third with one out. A Scottie Sauernheimer double scored both runners in a four-run sixth inning, but the Eagles were still at a major deficit of 17-6.
The Golden Tornadoes added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the scoring in a 19-6 win, as they banged out 16 hit and took advantage of seven KSU Tusc errors.
Powell was 2-3 at the plate and Salgado was 2-4, while Sauernheimer knocked in two runs and Campbell scored twice.
Tornado hitters pounded out 28 hits on the afternoon---16 in the nightcap---as they jumped on the Golden Eagles early with 10 runs in the bottom of the first to take a 10-1 lead. They did so scattering six hits, including two doubles while six runners earned spots on the base paths thanks to four walks and two hit by pitches.
The Eagles scored a single run in each of the first three innings scoring on a fielder's choice, a single by Josh Leonard and Andrew Powell crossed the home plate on a ground out after leading off third inning with a triple to right field.
It was all Geneva after that as KSU Tusc stranded 10 runners and the hosts scored four runs in the second, a single run in the fourth and five more in the home half of the fifth.
For the Eagles who had five hits and committed three errors, Brogan Burcher went 2-4 with a pair of singles and Powell was 1-2 with a triple and a run scored.
KSU Tusc falls to 5-13 on the season and travels to Christendom College in Front Royal, VA, for a Sunday doubleheader.
The infielders watch Braden Rostad warmup and releivers were used often in a doubleheader loss at Geneva College.
(Photo by Rob Brindley)