FAIRFIELD, CT - A sixth inning, two-run home run by junior C Carmine Palummo and a strong pitching effort by sophomore RHP Bill Maier led the Iona College baseball team to a 3-1 win in the three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series opener at Alumni Diamond.

Maier tossed eight plus innings allowing five hits while striking out five batters in 95 pitches. He surrendered his lone walk to his final batter in the top of the ninth.

The Gaels got on the board in the fifth inning. Junior SS Vinny DeMaria lined an 0-1 pitch to left field for a lead off base hit. Sophomore 3B Tyler Bruno pushed him to second on a sac bunt. He moved to third on sophomore 2B Matt Byrne's single to center field and scored on an RBI groundout by senior 1B Jimmy Guiliano.

In the sixth, sophomore DH Alex Beckett drew a leadoff walk. On the first pitch he saw, Palummo drilled his second home run of the season over the left centerfield fence to give Iona a 3-0 advantage.

The Stags got a run back in the seventh. After back-to-back one out hits put runners on second and third, Maier induced a ground out to first and a three-pitch strikeout to get out of the inning with only one run allowed.

After a leadoff walk in the ninth inning by Maier, sophomore LHP Andrew Camiolo came on to face three left handed Stag batters due up to the plate. Camiolo got his first batter faced, 1B Sebastian Salvo, to hit a ball straight back to him for a fielder's choice. He followed it up by getting RF Troy Scocca to pop out to Bruno in foul territory and struck out right-handed PH Billy Zolga to end the contest and pick up his first collegiate save.

Offensively, Byrne and Palummo had two hits apiece. Giuliano, Beckett and DeMaria collected Iona's other three. Bruno reached base twice via a walk.

The two teams complete the series with a doubleheader tomorrow at noon. Junior RHP Mariano Rivera pitches the first game while graduate LHP Eddie Macaluso takes the mound in the night cap.