NEW ROCHELLE, NY - A solid pitching effort coupled with timely hitting led the Iona baseball program to a 2-1 victory this afternoon to close out a weekend series with MAAC rival Quinnipiac. The Gaels (12-13, 5-4 MAAC) claimed the series victory two games to one.

Junior Patrick Ryan started for the Maroon & Gold this afternoon, allowing just two hits in 6.1 innings of work while striking out three. In the opening six innings, Ryan retired 18 of 23 batters faced. After Iona jumped ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Ryan produced a foul out from Brian Moskey before the Bobcats (11-21, 4-8 MAAC) loaded the bases. 

Coming on in relief, Andrew Camiolo kept the lead in favor of the Gaels by getting the final two outs despite a run scoring on a ground out from Matthew Batten. Camiolo struck out Joseph Burns with the bases loaded a 3-2 pitch to end the inning. 

Back in the sixth inning, Iona claimed the advantage with two runs on two hits. Seth Hoagland led the inning off with a walk and advanced to third in the next at-bat on a hit-and-run single from Brian Picone. Hoagland scored the first run of the game in the next turn as Matt Byrne earned the RBI on a ground out to first.

With Picone standing on second base following the RBI groundout from Byrne, Fran Kinsey laced a 0-1 pitch to the right field corner for a RBI triple to score the freshman outfielder and give the Gaels an insurance run.

Jared Finkel followed Camiolo in relief to open the eighth inning, looking for his fifth save of the season. The junior needed just eight pitches in the eighth to retire Quinnipiac in order that included a pair of ground outs and a strikeout.

In the ninth, Finkel produced a ground out and a swinging strike out before a full count single from Mike Palladino put a runner on. However, the closer needed just one more pitch has he produced a first pitch ground ball from Batten to Byrne at second base to close out the win.

Iona has won six of its last nine games and looks to continue the momentum with a pair of non-conference games this week before hosting Manhattan next Saturday and Sunday for a three-game MAAC series. The Gaels first travel to Lehigh on Tuesday before trip to Yale on Wednesday.