NORFOLK, VA - The Iona College softball team completed play at the Spartan Invitational Sunday with a split of their two contests. In game one, the Gaels were able to shutout Monmouth by the score of 4-0. In game two, the Gaels were unable to get on the scoreboard and fell to George Washington 3-0.

In game one, junior Sarah Jackson pitched her second complete game shutout of the weekend, going seven, allowing just two hits and striking out seven. Jackson pitched her fourth complete game and moved to 4-0 on the year with the win.

The Gaels got all the runs they needed in the bottom of the first as sophomore CF Jodi Petersen led off with a home run to center field. In the second inning, sophomore DH Eileen McCann went yard for the first time this season to put Iona ahead 2-0. The Gaels wrapped up their scoring with two in the fifth. With Petersen and senior 2B Tessa Earley on, senior C Melanie Gettins walked to load the bases for senior 3B Alyssa Maiese. Maiese connected with a single to the right side to put Iona ahead by the 4-0 final.

In game two, the Gaels were only able to put together five hits though the game remained scoreless for the first 3.5 innings of play. After Iona left two runners on in the top of the fourth, George Washington put one run across. Iona left two more runners on in the fifth and GW put two across to reach the 3-0 final.

Maiese took the hard luck loss for the Gaels, allowing two earned runs in four innings of work. Junior Deanne Algeo allowed one run in two innings of relief.

The Gaels are back in action next weekend when they travel to Baltimore, MD for four contests hosted by UMBC, beginning with a 9:30 am matchup with Princeton on Saturday.