FARIFIELD, CT - The Iona College baseball team split a doubleheader with Fairfield in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Alumni Diamond. The Gaels (17-27, 7-10 MAAC) dropped the first game 6-5 before defeating the Stags (17-23, 8-9 MAAC) 3-1 in the night cap.

Trailing 5-3 in the top of the seventh, Iona scored two to tie the score. Junior 3B Chris Burke's second home run of the game led off the frame before sophomore CF Anthony Muccio knotted the score with a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Fairfield got its game winner on an RBI single by SS Larry Cornelia.

Burke was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. The two long balls gave him a team leading 10 on the season. Sophomore C James Beck collected four hits and scored a run while junior 1B Michael Chiaravalloti had three hits in the loss. Sophomore SS Matthew Kriss was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Senior LHP Brian Callahan (3-2) took the loss in relief. He tossed the final three innings allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts.

In the night cap, a three-run fourth inning gave the Maroon & Gold and senior LHP Justin Wiley all the runs they would need. Chiaravalloti, Muccio and senior C Chris Griffin each drove in runs in the frame for the Gaels.

Wiley (6-3) had a second straight strong outing, scattering eight hits with six strikeouts in the complete game victory using 98 pitches. His six victories this season match Ryan Sullivan (2003) and Sean Kramer (2004) as the most for an Iona player in the last decade.

Beck, Chiaravalloti and rookie LF Joe Torres had two hits apiece in the win. Chiaravalloti extended his hitting streak to 13 games and has recorded multiple hits in each of the last four contests. His batting average has increased .108 since the streak began, standing at .366 for the season. Beck's hitting streak extended to 12 games. He hit his 23rd double of the year and stands alone at No. 2 on the Iona single-season chart. Beck's batting average is now a team best .377.

Iona and Fairfield compete in the rubber game of the series tomorrow at noon.

Game 1                              R  H  E
Iona College........ 000 120 200 -  5 14  1
Fairfield........... 002 120 10X -  6 10  0
 
Game 2                            R  H  E
Iona College........ 000 300 0 -  3 12  0
Fairfield........... 000 100 0 -  1  8  0