JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Iona College softball team completed its 2013 campaign with a doubleheader split with Saint Peter's in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action held Saturday at Jaroschak Field. In game one, Iona pulled out a 5-3 victory before dropping a 13-9 slugfest in game two to the Peacocks.
The Gaels conclude the 2013 conference season with a record of 9-7, tying Niagara and Manhattan for fourth. By way of tiebreaker, the Purple Eagles earned the final berth in next weekend's MAAC Championship. Niagara held a 3-1 record against the Jaspers and Gaels; Manhattan was 2-2 against the Purple Eagles and Gaels; the Gaels posted a 1-3 record against the Jaspers and Purple Eagles.
Iona struck first in game one with a run in the opening frame. Sophomore Allison Hand drove in senior Jodi Petersen with a one-out bases loaded single through the left side.
In the second inning, Iona put across three more runs to open up a four run margin on Saint Peter's. After freshman Brianna King led off the frame with a single and freshman Sydney Dimon walked, Petersen doubled to left field to drive in King and put two runners in scoring position. Sophomore Brianna Schauer followed and drove in the pair with a single to center field.
The Gaels pushed across their final run of the first game in the fourth inning. Petersen doublde to right center with one out before moving to third on a groundout. Senior Beth Kann would then plate her classmate with a single to right field, giving Iona a 5-0 lead.
Saint Peter's would get within two with three runs in the fourth inning. Francesca D'Amato drove in two with a home run to left field and Shelby Beaver picked up an RBI single.
The Gaels would be able to hold on to lead by allowing just three batters to reach over the final three innings.
Petersen led the Gaels with three hits and three runs scored while Schauer drove in a game high two runs in the contest. Sophomore Carly Argyle got the win for Iona, allowing three runs on seven hits in seven inning while striking out a career high 12 batters. Lee Harrison took the loss for Saint Peter's, allowing four runs, all earned, in one-plus inning of work. Erica Colon pitched the final six innings in relief.
In game two, Iona got out to a 1-0 lead on a run scoring single by Hand. Saint Peter's would take its first lead of the day in the bottom of the inning with two runs.
Argyle would score on a Saint Peter's error in the second inning to tie the game at two before the Peacocks put three runs across in the third inning to take a 5-2 lead.
The Gaels would trim the deficit to one in the fourth inning when Dimon delivered her first career home run to center field, driving in Argyle who reached on a lead off single.
Saint Peter's would score five runs in the bottom of the inning, with the big blow coming on a two run double to left center by Taylor Corretjer. The Peacocks would tack on another run in the fifth inning, moving ahead 11-4.
Iona would continue to fight, scoring four runs on five hits in the top of the sixth inning. Schauer drove in King with a bases loaded single. Hand would score Schauer and Petersen with a single to left center and junior Katie Jansson knocked in Kann with a single through the left side, cutting the Saint Peter's lead to three.
Saint Peter's would put the game out of reach with two runs in the sixth inning, when Harrison homered to center field. Iona would get one run in the seventh on an RBI groundout to short by Kann but would not be able to continue its rally.
Hand went a perfect 4-4 in the finale, while Argyle and King also record multi-hit efforts. Argyle took the loss for Iona, allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 11 hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Beaver got the win for Saint Peter's, allowing eight runs, two earned, in 5.2 innings.
