NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College softball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference double header with Monmouth University Saturday afternoon at Rice Oval. In game one, the Gaels scored 10 runs in the fourth inning and prevailed 11-3 in five innings. The Hawks then took the finale of the day 6-5.
Over the two contests, freshman Kristen Turner was one of five players with two hits, including a game one grand slam, her tenth home run of the season. Junior Allison Hand drove in three runs while sophomore Sarah Schutz had two runs batted in.
Turner's 38 runs batted in this season are now the most by a freshman in program history, eclipsing the 34 driven in by teammate Eileen McCann during her freshman campaign of 2010. She now sits just five away from tying the single season mark, held by Alyssa Maiese who drove in 43 runs in 2012.
In game one, Monmouth went ahead early with two runs in the top of the first. Shannon Fitzgerald led off with a double down the left field line. Alicia DeSanto followed with a sacrifice bunt and reached on an Iona error, which allowed Fitzgerald to come around with the first run of the inning. DeSanto then came around with the second run on another Iona miscue.
The Gaels finally cracked the scoreboard with one of their biggest innings of the frame, scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth, all with two outs and only on two hits.
Turner scored after a Monmouth error with the bases loaded. Freshman Katie Newton and Schutz each drove in runs with bases loaded walks. Hand followed with a two-run RBI single to center field, scoring Newton and junior Brianna Schauer. Freshman Ashlyn Morris doubled to left field scoring Schutz with the sixth run of the frame. Turner followed with the big blow of the inning, as her fourth grand slam of the season traveled over the left center field wall and put Iona ahead 10-2.
Vanessa Cardoza delivered an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to extend the game before the Maroon & Gold ended the contest in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Schauer doubled to right field. Freshman Kelsey Long pinch ran at second base and came around two batters later on Schutz's single to right.
Junior Carly Argyle picked up her seventh win for Iona, going five innings, allowing three runs, all unearned, along with five hits while striking out six Sydney Underhill took the loss for Monmouth, allowing seven runs, all unearned, on one hit and three walks.
In the second game, Monmouth took a 5-0 lead with five runs in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Justine Reyes delivered a bases clearing RBI double to right center. Rachel Shotzbarger followed with a ground double to left center and came around on an RBI single up the middle up Kayleen Flores to put the Hawks.
Iona scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the inning when McCann scored on a wild pitch. In the fourth inning, the Gaels trimmed the deficit to three when Hand plated sophomore Sydney Dimon with a groundout to short.
The Hawks scored their sixth run, which turned out to be the game winner, in the top of the sixth. Jill Freese drove in Flores with a single to right field.
The Gaels then plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within one. With the bases loaded, Schutz scored on a wild pitch. Long then drove in Schauer with an infield single to the pitcher before McCann drove in Newton with a single up the middle. In the seventh, Iona was able to complete the comeback, going in order in the frame.
Underhill recovered from her first outing of the day and took the game two win, allowing five runs, nine hits, and four walks over seven innings. Sophomore Jordan Courage took the loss for Iona, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings.
The Gaels are back in action Sunday, when they travel to Quinnipiac for a MAAC doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm.
