BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – April 9, 2020 – The Chatham baseball squad split Friday's twin bill at Geneva College, winning the first game 10-5 and narrowly having the same fate in game two before dropping it 6-5. The Cougars' overall record goes to 4-10 and their PAC mark improves to 3-7.
 
Chatham took a while to get the scoring started in game one, not getting a tally until the sixth. Through the first five frames, Geneva assumed a 4-0 lead over the Cougars, but Chatham would tie the game in the top of the inning from a pair of 2-RBI base hits. Senior Andrew Clark doubled Chatham's first two runs in, and later scored following a single by first-year Justin Marshall.
 
Both teams traded runs in the seventh inning. First-year Corey Miller hacked an RBI double to left center to give the Cougars the 5-4 advantage. Geneva countered with an RBI double of its own in the bottom half of the seventh.
 
Chatham won the game in the eighth inning thanks to a combination of timely hitting and Golden Tornado errors. Three errors allowed three base runners to score, and the Cougars put the game out of reach with RBI singles by junior Tristan Palmer and Miller.
 
Chatham held the advantage in total hits 14-9, overcoming eight strikeouts, while only committing two errors in the field. Miller, Clark and junior Caleb Lehman all recorded a double, while first-year Dylan Vogel and sophomore Brandon Griener stole a pair of bases. Senior Jonathan Scarsella also stole a base. Miller and Marshall both went 3/5 with two runs batted in and a run scored.
 
Senior Ryan Shawley started on the mound and went 6.0 innings, striking out four. Junior Erik Napolitano closed the game and earned the win after surrendering just one base hit.
 
After once again trailing 4-0, Chatham got on the board in game two with an RBI double by Vogel. Things were looking bleak for the Cougars late with Geneva adding two more runs in the bottom of the sixth and the Cougars facing a five-run deficit with three outs to give.
 
Chatham chipped into the deficit slowly but steadily. First, junior Nico Cuello drove in a run with a single. Vogel came around to score on a wild pitch, Cuello also scored on an error. After Griener stole second, Palmer came home to make the score 6-5 with just one out. After a fielder's choice advanced Griener to third, Chatham could not get the tying run across and settled with the split.
 
Chatham raked nine hits, four of them in the wild seventh inning. Sophomore Cole Couchman was the only Cougar to record multiple hits in game two, going 2/4. Vogel also had the only extra base hit, a fifth inning double.
 
Junior Kelli Jenkins got her first career start and took the loss after 2.0 innings. Junior Trevor Salvior went 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and sophomore Eric Paulin pitched the final two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Cougars and the Golden Tornadoes will tango again tomorrow, April 10 at West Field in a pair of PAC matchups. First pitch of game one is set for 2 p.m.