NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College softball team opened up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon, hosting Fairfield at Rice Oval. In the first game of the double header, Fairfield starter Sarah Minice held the Gaels to just one hit in a 3-0 Stags victory. In game two, the Gaels put two runs across in the sixth inning to pick up a 3-1 win.
In game one, Fairfield put a run across in the third on an RBI single by SS Laura Carta. Fairfield C Lauren Liseth put the Stags ahead 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI ground out. The final run of the contest came in the sixth on a RBI ground out by 1B Kristina Lingo.
Minice kept Iona hitless for the first 5.2 innings of the contest before a single by sophomore CF
Jodi Petersen. She retired the final four batters of the contest in order, finishing the game with nine strikeouts and boasting her record to 5-5. Junior
Sarah Jackson allowed nine hits in three runs in her seven innings for the Gaels, dropping to 5-4 on the season.
The Gaels found themselves in an early hole in game two. In the top of the first, Lingo drove in LF Tiffany Lawson to put the Stags ahead 1-0. Iona quickly answered back in the bottom of the inning when junior SS
Deanne Algeo led off the inning with her second home run of the season.
The game would remain tied at one as Iona starter
Alyssa Maiese and Fairfield starter Rebecca Trott traded scoreless innings on the mound. In the bottom of the sixth, Iona would break through with the winning runs. Sophomore DH
Eileen McCann led off the inning by smoking a single back up the middle against Trott. Minice would make her second appearance of the day in relief. Petersen followed with a single. McCann and Petersen were forced out at third on back to back plays. With two outs and runners on first and second, senior C
Melanie Gettins knocked in two with a double to the right field gap.
Fairfield would load the bases with no one out against Maiese in the seventh but the senior got a 5-2-3 double play and a ground out to second to close out the game. Maiese went the full seven for her third win of the season. Trott took the loss, falling to 2-3 on the year.
The Gaels are back in action Wednesday when they host Drexel in a non-conference double header at Rice Oval. Game one is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm.
