NEW YORK, NY - The Iona College softball team dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader to Columbia Saturday afternoon at Columbia SB Stadium. In game one, the Lions scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh and prevailed 12-9 before shutting out the Gaels in the nightcap 7-0.
In the opener, Columbia grabbed a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Gaels took their first lead of the contest in the third inning. Junior Allison Hand scored following a Columbia error that allowed her to come in from second. Junior Carly Argyle followed later in the inning with a two-run home run that pushed the Maroon & Gold ahead by one.
Columbia grabbed the lead back in the fourth inning with four runs. The Lions took advatange of three Iona errors in the frame to take a 6-3 advantage.
The Gaels trimmed the deficit to one, 6-5, with two runs in the fifth inning. Senior Katie Jansson delivered the big hit of the inning when she drove in both runs with a double to left center. Iona then tied the contest in the sixth on a double by freshman Ashlyn Morris, scoring classmate Katie Newton.
Iona took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. Jansson drove in sophomore Sarah Schutz with a single up the middle before freshman Kelsey Long homered to left to give Iona a 9-6 lead.
The Lions delivered with a six run frame in the bottom of the seventh to claim the win. A pair of bases loaded walks got Columbia within one before Kayla Shimoda connected on a walk off grand slam, scoring the game winning runs.
Argyle took the loss for Iona in game one, allowing 11 runs, seven earned, over 6.2 innings. Columbia's Brooke Darling was credited with the win, pitching three innings of relief.
The Lions carried the momentum of game one into the day's finale, holding Iona to two hits in the contest. Columbia plated three runs in both the second and fourth innings before pushing the final run across in the fifth.
Morris and junior Brianna Schauer record one hit apiece in the contest. Freshman Sarah McMahon was the pitcher on the losing end for Iona, allowing seven runs, all earned, over 4.1 innings of work. Columbia's Emily Kenyon went all seven innings for the Lions to record the complete game shutout.
Iona continues non-conference play Tuesday, when it welcomes St. John's to Rice Oval for the squad's home opener.
