NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Iona College softball junior outfielder Allison Hand's walkoff solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning propelled the Maroon & Gold to a 3-2 win over Sacred Heart Thursday afternoon in non-conference action at Rice Oval. The victory was the third in a row for the Gaels, a new season high.

Sophomore Jordan Courage (1-7) went the distance for her first win of the season, surrendering just two runs and seven hits while striking out a season high five batters. Sophomore infielder Sarah Schutz led the Gaels with two hits, including a game tying solo home run in the sixth inning, and scored twice.

The Gaels found themselves in an early hole as the Pioneers scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning.  McKenna Wiegand delivered a two-run single up the middle to plate Justine Sibthorp and Annie Dreher to give Sacred Heart a 2-0 advantage.

Iona cut the deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the frame. Schutz led off the stanza with a double to left field and came home on a two out double by freshman infielder Katie Newton.

The Gaels knotted the game in the sixth, when Schutz golfed a 2-2 pitch out for her third home run of the season. In the seventh, with one out, Hand delivered the game winner, on her third home run of the season, to give the Maroon & Gold the one run win.

Sacred Heart's Jamie Carlson (2-5) took the loss, allowing three runs and seven hits in 6.1 innings of work. The Gaels resume conference play this weekend with a pair of double headers in Western New York, beginning Saturday with a trip to Niagara before they match up with Canisius on Sunday. Both twinbills are set to begin at 12:00 pm.