NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Siena in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action on Senior Day at City Park. The Saints scored six unanswered runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take the opener 12-6 before a 4-3 victory in the night cap in a 10 inning affair.

Iona struck first in the bottom of the second inning in game one. Senior DH Alex Beckett drove home classmate Carmine Palummo on a ground ball to the Saints' third baseman.

The Saints scored five times in the top of the third. The big blows were a two-run double by 2B Jordan Bishop and a two-run home run by RF Fred Smart. They took a 6-1 advantage in the fourth on SS Tyler Martis' one-out single up the middle.

The Gaels stormed back to tie the score in their half of the fifth inning. The frame started with back-to-back singles by sophomores RF Seth Hoagland and CF Jon Budesa. Junior 3B Matt Byrne plated the first run with a base hit to center field. After rookie 2B Sean Breen walked on four pitches, senior LF Travis Mistretta turned the carousel with a run scoring hit to center field. Two batters later, sophomore 1B Lou Matarazzo cleared the bases with a three run double to the opposite field.

Siena quickly regained the lead in the sixth with a two-out run. They added two more in the seventh and three in the eighth to take game. Saints' CF Dan Swain homered in the eighth, the team's second of the game. It was just the second time in Iona's four-year history at City Park that a team has recorded multiple home runs in a game.

Byrne and Matarazzo had three hits apiece for the Gaels while Budesa added a pair. Six different Iona players accounted for the team's six runs.

Sophomore RHP Bill Maier took the loss, tossing six innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs. Of Iona's four relievers, rookie RHP Antonio Velardi was the most effective, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

In the night cap, the Saints took an early 3-0 lead with runs in their first two at bats. Smart hit his second two-run homer of the day in the opening frame.

The Gaels chipped away with two runs in the third. Three straight one-out hits plated the first run. Budesa's rally-starting double was followed by an infield hit by Byrne and a run scoring knock by Breen. After Mistretta walked to load the bases, Palummo picked up an RBI with a base hit to left before Siena induced a double play to end any further threat.

The two teams traded zeros until the bottom of the seventh inning. Budesa started the rally again with a leadoff triple. Two batters later, Breen hit a chopper to short with the infield drawn in. Martis' throw sailed wide of first and Budesa raced home for the game-tying run.

Four extra innings later, Siena broke through with a two out run in the top of the 10th. LF Dan Lowndes singled to right field to score C Phil Madonna from second base.

Budesa was the offensive star as he was a home run shy of a cycle in a 4-for-4 effort. He had six hits in the doubleheader. Mistretta collected two hits in the loss.

Junior RHP Vinny Martin tossed the first four innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and three strike outs. Senior RHP Stephan Stafford pitched a scoreless fifth inning before senior RHP Alex Fishberg came on in the sixth and finished the contest. After allowing two walks in his first inning of work, Fishberg retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced before the Saints' two-out rally in the 10th. Fishberg's line was five innings, two hits, a run with three strikeouts and three walks.

Prior to game two, the Gaels honored the program's seven seniors including: Beckett, Fishberg, Mistretta, Palummo, Stafford, SS Vinny DeMaria and OF Kyle DiVico.

Due to inclement weather forecast on Friday, the series finale will begin at 10:30 am, three and a half hours earlier than originally scheduled.