LATROBE, Pa. (April 23) – The Saint Vincent softball team dropped a pair of close battles to visiting Geneva in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader, falling by scores of 5-2 in the opener and 2-1 in the nightcap.
 
The Bearcats (17-7, 6-6 PAC) had the go-ahead run on base in the seventh inning of both games, but were unable to come through with a big hit. Over the doubleheader, Geneva (16-12, 6-6 PAC) stranded 17 SVC runners on base.
 
GAME ONE – Geneva 5, Saint Vincent 2
 
The Golden Tornaodes broke open game one in the top of the second inning, batting around and scoring three runs on five singles to take an early 3-0 lead.
 
After Alexandra Dillner was stranded in the bottom of the third after smacking a leadoff double off the fence, the Bearcats finally broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Mary Maceda was hit by a pitch and Olivia Persin reached on a bunt single. Two batters later, Abbey Ginter brought home SVC's first run with an RBI single to center, before Dillner followed suit, smacking a run-scoring single to left to pull SVC to within one, 3-2.
 
The Golden Tornadoes promptly answered with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth, using a hit-by-pitch, error, single and passed ball to increase the lead to 5-2.
 
Saint Vincent's lead-off batters reached base in each of the next three innings, with Katelyn Stokan getting hit by a pitch in the fourth, Persin doubling in the fifth and Dillner walking in the sixth, but would remain stranded each time.
 
Maceda gave SVC its seventh leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the seventh as she lead off with a single, before Persin and Kelsey Tobin each followed with fielder's choice ground balls. Ginter followed by drawing a two-out walk, putting runners on first and second, before Jessica LaPorte singled to center to load the bases. The rally could fall short though, as a fly out to centerfield would end the game.
 
The Bearcats totaled eight hits in the opener, led by a 3-for-4 showing from Persin and a 2-for-3 effort from Dillner.
 
Haley Bicko started in the circle and was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs on six hits in 1.2 innings. Meghan Braun came on in relief and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over the final 5.1 innings.
 
GAME TWO – Geneva 2, Saint Vincent 1
 
In a pitcher's duel of a nightcap, the Golden Tornadoes again struck first with one run on two hits in the top of the first inning.
 
Saint Vincent looked to answer right back in the bottom of the second, with Ginter and LaPorte each cracking two-out singles, but again, the clutch hit eluded the hosts and the score remained 1-0.
 
Bearcat starter Olivia Bushore then retired the next six Golden Tornadoes in order, but the SVC offense still was unable to tie the game, stranding two more runners in the third after singles from Persin and Tobin.
 
The Golden Tornadoes threatened in the top of the fourth, posting back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, but after a ground ball moved each runner up 60 feet, SVC catcher Mackenzie Larimer picked the lead runner off of third with a bullet of a throw before Bushore induced an inning-ending ground out.
 
Saint Vincent finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Persin laced a double to the fence in left center and would then score on a two-bagger from Ginter to tie the game at 1-1.
 
The teams traded zeroes in the sixth inning, but with one out in the top of the seventh, Geneva's Peri Ceaseri smacked a home run just over the fence in right to give her team a one-run lead.
 
Facing their last at-bats, the Bearcats looked to go to work in the home half of the seventh. Stokan led off with a pinch hit double to left, before moving to third on a one-out single from Persin which put the winning run on first base. After Tobin was retired with the second out on a sharp grounder to short, Ginter followed with a blast to right field, but it was caught on the warning track to end the game.
 
The Bearcats out-hit the Golden Tornadoes 8-6, but stranded eight runners on base.
 
Persin turned in another 3-for-4 effort to complete a 6-hit doubleheader, while Ginter went 2-for-4 at the plate.
 
Bushore turned in a strong effort in the circle but was saddled with the hard-luck loss, as she worked all seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts.
 
Prior to the doubleheader, the Bearcat senior class of Maceda, Tobin and Ginter were recognized in an on-field ceremony for their four-year careers.
 
The Bearcats will look to snap their losing skid on Tuesday, April 26, when they play host to Washington & Jefferson at 3:30 p.m.