CAMDEN, NJ- The Iona College baseball team erased a 3-2 deficit with a run in the seventh and eighth innings and held on in the ninth in a 4-3 victory over Saint Joseph's at Campbell's Stadium. Junior 3B
Chris Burke drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth to lead the Gaels to their fourth straight win.
Iona jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Junior DH
James Beck scored the game's first run on a double play with the bases loaded. The next batter, senior C
Chris Griffin drove in classmate 2B
Nick Rossetti on a double to right to give the Gaels a two-run advantage.
The Hawks scored in the bottom of the inning and tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth. They took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on an RBI single by freshman 1B Mike Muha.
In the seventh, Beck led off with a leadoff double and scored two batters later as junior 1B
Michael Chiaravalloti singled down the right field line to plate the tying run.
The Gaels manufactured the winning run in the eighth without the benefit of a hit. Freshman LF
Joe Torres reached on an error to lead off the inning. He was sacrificed to second by sophomore SS
Matthew Kriss and advanced to third on a passed ball. Burke's drive to centerfield plated Torres to give Iona a 4-3 lead.
Saint Joseph's put the tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings but could not get the equalizer. Senior LHP
Justin Wiley got out of a two-out runner on second jam in the eighth by inducing a fly ball to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, sophomore RHP
Kenny Dietrich struck out the first batter to start the frame. Two straight base hits and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. After an intentional walk, junior RHP
Anthony Castellitto came in from the bullpen and struck out freshman PH Cody Silverman. He then got sophomore 2B Quinn Renner to ground out to second base to earn the save.
Wiley tossed eight strong innings allowing five hits and striking out nine batters in his second win of the year. Dietrich recorded one out and faced four batters in the ninth before being relieved by Castellitto for the final two outs.
Beck and Chiaravalloti went 2-for-4 in the game to lead the Gaels offensively. Beck scored twice and had a double in the win.
The Gaels continue action in the Philadelphia area tomorrow when they take on Villanova at the Wildcats' New Ballpark at Plymouth Meeting.
