February 28, 2026 – Beaver Falls, Pa.

It was the kind of game that tests everything — pitching depth, focus, toughness — and for 13 innings, we matched Geneva punch for punch. In the end, though, a wild pitch in the bottom of the 14th proved to be the difference as we dropped a heartbreaking 5–4 decision on the road. In game two, a late burst by the Golden Tornadoes would help them overcome an 8-4 deficit to win, 9-8.

GAME ONE: Geneva 5 La Roche 4 F/14

We wasted no time getting on the board. In the top of the first, DJ Loveland swiped a bag and came around to score on a Samuel DiCicco RBI groundout, setting the tone early.

Geneva answered in the bottom half, but we struck again in the third. Brady Angus — who sparked us all afternoon — reached and later scored on an Aaron Exler single up the middle to reclaim the lead at 2–1.

The momentum shifted in the home half of the third when Kirk Bearjar lifted a two-run homer down the left-field line to put Geneva in front 3–2. An inning later, they stretched it to 4–2 on an RBI double.

It would've been easy to let that inning snowball. We didn't.

James Hensell battled through three innings before handing things over to Ethan Raver, who gave us everything we could've asked for. Raver delivered 10 strong innings out of the bullpen, scattering six hits and striking out eight to keep us within striking distance deep into extra innings.

We chipped away in the sixth. With traffic on the bases, a wild pitch allowed Exler to cross the plate and cut the deficit to one.

Then in the seventh, we manufactured the tying run. Angus stole second, moved to third, and forced a throwing error that allowed him to score and knot the game at 4–4. Aggressive, heads-up baseball — exactly how we want to play.

From there, it became a war of attrition.

Raver continued to pound the zone, working out of jams and keeping Geneva off the board. Our offense threatened multiple times — finishing with 11 hits on the afternoon — including three from Liam Burns and two each from Angus, Exler, and Troy Sallis.

But Geneva's bullpen matched us pitch for pitch, and the scoreboard remained frozen inning after inning.

In the 14th, Geneva pushed a runner to third. On a wild pitch, the runner broke for home and slid in with the winning run, ending the marathon contest at 5–4.

By the Numbers

• 11 hits, 5 walks, and aggressive base running (three stolen bases)

• Ethan Raver: 10.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K

• Liam Burns: 3-for-5 at the plate

• Brady Angus: 2 hits, 2 runs scored, two stolen bases

GAME TWO: Geneva 9 La Roche 8

We struck first in the opening inning thanks to heads-up baseball. DJ Loveland swiped third and came home on a throwing error, setting the tone with our aggressiveness.

Geneva answered quickly, putting together four runs in the bottom of the first on a series of RBI singles and a sacrifice fly to jump in front 4–1. It wasn't the start we wanted, but our response showed resilience.

In the second, we flipped the momentum.

Jamison Rhoades and Eli Thomas helped spark a rally before Loveland drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run. Brady Angus followed with a clutch two-run single to center, tying the game at 4–4. Just like that, we were right back in it.

We kept applying pressure. In the fourth, Ricky Heyz delivered an RBI single to plate Thomas and give us a 5–4 lead.

The fifth inning was our most productive frame. Samuel DiCicco and Aaron Exler both came around to score on a throwing error, and Rhoades' infield single helped bring home another unearned run. When the dust settled, we had built an 8–4 advantage.

Thomas finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with three runs scored, consistently finding ways to get on base and ignite rallies. Rhoades added two hits of his own, while Loveland and Angus each drove in key runs during our middle-inning surge.

Baseball can turn quickly — and it did in the bottom of the sixth.

Geneva capitalized on a mix of timely hitting, walks, and wild pitches to plate five runs in the inning. A pair of RBI opportunities, combined with runners advancing on miscues, allowed the home team to erase our four-run lead and take a 9–8 edge.

We battled to the final out, but Geneva's bullpen held firm over the final two innings. Despite outhitting them 9–8 and forcing four Geneva errors, we couldn't find the tying run.

By the Numbers

• 9 hits, 8 runs

• Eli Thomas: 2-for-3, 3 runs scored

• Jamison Rhoades: 2-for-3

• Brady Angus: 2 RBIs

• DJ Loveland: 2 stolen bases, RBI