PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA- The Iona College baseball team earned its fifth straight win, exploding for 13 runs in a 13-3 win over Villanova at Villanova Ballpark. The Gaels scored nine times in the third and fourth innings to pull away. It was Iona's first win over a BIG EAST opponent in more than 10 seasons.

 

Rookie LHP Eddie Macaluso tossed a complete-game five-hitter, allowing two earned runs while striking out two batters. He used just 90 pitches in nine innings to earn his second victory of the season.

The Gaels bats posted 15 hits with each starter recording at least one. Senior 1B Chris Griffin, junior C James Beck and sophomores 2B Eric Capowski, SS Matthew Kriss, and DH Kyle Charron along with rookie RF Joe Smith each had two hits in the win. Beck and Griffin doubled twice in the win. Junior 3B Chris Burke hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning and scored two other times for the Maroon & Gold.

After allowing two runs in the second inning, Iona responded with three in the next half inning. With one out, Kriss doubled into the left centerfield gap plating two runs. He was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. After Burke walked and stole second, Beck doubled him home for the frame's third tally.

In the fourth, the Gaels used four straight hits to start the inning. An RBI single by CF Dean Dignelli followed a leadoff double by rookie LF Joe Torres to start the scoring. Griffin doubled Dignelli home to give Iona a 5-2 advantage. Capowski scored the third run of the inning with a bases loaded passed ball. With the bases juiced and two out, Charron's two-run single plated Torres and Kriss. Beck scored the final run on a wild pitch.

With two runners on and no out, Burke took the first pitch he saw from relief pitcher Matt Lengel and drilled it to dead center for his second home run of the season, giving Iona a 12-2 lead.

A lead off home run for the Wildcats in the sixth inning would round out the scoring in the contest.

The Gaels complete the three-game series in Philadelphia when they take on Temple tomorrow at 1:00 pm.

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
Iona College........ 003 603 010 - 13 15  1
Villanova........... 020 001 000 -  3  5  2