The Iona College softball team took on the Stags of Fairfield in a doubleheader today at Pinebrook field. In what turned out to be an exciting outing, the Gaels defeated the Stags in both contests. The opener ended with a 6-5 Gael victory and in the nightcap, was victorious again with a 5-4 walk-off win in eight inning. Junior RHP Becky Riccitelli threw 288 pitches over the two contests, pitching two complete games, and came up with victories in both. She became the fourth pitcher in school history to record two 10+ wins seasons in school history.
The Stags took an early lead in game one, scoring four runs off of four solid hits by the squad. The Gaels answered back with a run in the first. The inning starting with a lead off single by freshman 2B Kaitlin Calogera (3-for-4, RBI, three runs). Calogera proceeded to steal second, then a single by junior C Laura Stott (1-for-4, RBI) brought her home. The Gaels tacked on three more runs and tied the game in the third inning.
The Stags regained the lead in the fourth inning scoring a run with a solo shot hit by SS Kristie Trifiolo. With the score 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, senior 3B Alexis Garbowski led off with a single through the infield With two outs Calogera lined a pitch to centerfield fence, rolled underneath and played for an RBI ground-rule double to tie the game. Senior Alex Sprague plated Calogera with an RBI single to right field to gain the lead for the Gaels.
Riccitelli held on in the seventh to earn her 10th victory of the season. She commanded eight strikeouts and allowed four earned runs and eight hits.
Game two was another battle for the two MAAC teams that ended up in eight full innings of play. After two scoreless innings, the Gaels struck in the third with senior CF Sprague (3-for-4, run scored) leading off the inning with a single and a one-out, RBI double from sophomore 1B Valerie Laschen (3-for-4, RBI, run scored).
The Stags fired back with three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead from the Gaels. It was short lived as the home team evened out the score in the bottom of the fifth inning.
In the next half inning, Fairfield rookie Jessica Stand hit a solo shot over the left field fence. She came on an inning earlier for defense and hit her first collegiate home run to give the Stags a 4-3 lead.
With three outs to defeat, Laschen started the bottom of the seventh inning off with a single. Stott pushed her to second after reaching on on error. One out later and runners on second and third, sophomore RF Angie Ortiz earned an RBI ground out that scored Laschen and put the game into extra innings.
After a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, senior DP Laura Bosso led off the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle. Rookie Laura Hackimer came on to pinch run and was sacrificed to second by classmate Courtney Christie. Calogera, who burned the Stags for six hits in the doubleheader, came up with the biggest one of the afternoon. A walk-off RBI single lifted Iona to the 5-4 win.
Riccitelli (11-9), who tossed 165 pitches in the opener, threw 123 more in the nightcap to earn the victory. The pesky Stags fouled off a total of 103 pitches in the two games including an incredible 66 in the opener. Riccitelli split two epic battles with Fairfield C Erin Frank in the first game. She induced a groundball to third base after a 14 pitch (10 foul balls) at-bat in the top of the second. Frank singled after fouling off nine offerings in a 12-pitch at-bat in the fourth.
The Gaels look to continue their MAAC success this weekend with two critical doubleheaders with Rider and Saint Peter's. Iona's post season future remains in their own hands.
