GREENSBORO, NC – The Iona College softball team dropped its season-opener to Longwood on Sunday afternoon, 10-1 in six innings. The Gaels fell in the nightcap to the host UNC Greensboro Spartans.

GAME SUMMARY

Longwood struck quickly against Iona's starter Marnie Skinner, a preseason All-MAAC selection as a pitcher. A double cleared the bases in the top half of the opening frame to give the Lancers an early 3-0 lead. A couple of RBI singles increased the lead to five before the Maroon & Gold got to step up to the plate.
 
In the bottom half of the first, Natalia Meray sent the third pitch she saw from Sydney Gay over the left field fence, the first round tripper of the sophomore's career. Freshman Jessica Chilcott singled in the first at bat of her career to put runners on first and third with two outs, but the runners were stranded at the corners to end the inning.
 
After a rough first inning – a walk, a hit batsmen, four hits and five runs – Skinner settled in and set down the next 12 Lancers in order, setting the table for her offense to try and chip away at the 5-1 deficit. Iona left runners in scoring position in the second, fourth and fifth innings and were unable to put a dent in Longwood's lead.
 
Two straight singles to start the top of the sixth put Skinner and head coach Katie Jansson in a precarious situation. The skipper stuck with her ace and the decision worked, at least for the moment. Skinner struck out the next batter, but the following three batters all singled, making it an 8-1 lead and knocking Skinner out of the game. Sophomore Samantha Bender entered in relief, allowing her two inherited runners to score, but eventually working out of some trouble to finish the inning.
 
At the mercy of the run rule, Iona's offense had its back up against the wall. They couldn't push a run across, leaving one runner on base to end the game.
 
The second game of the day began on a good note for the Maroon & Gold. Chilcott opened up the scoring in the second inning with the first dinger of her collegiate career on a 3-1 pitch. Later in the same inning, senior Hailey Thompson scored on a wild pitch to give Iona a 2-0 lead.
 
Freshman Kara Zazzaro got the nod for the Gaels in the nightcap, and she pitched a gem. She struck out two in her first inning of work and followed that up by stranding the two lead off runners she allowed in the second inning.
 
Zazzaro struck out Melanie Darges looking to end the fourth inning, notching her seventh victim of the game. The Southington, Conn. native ran into some trouble in the fifth though, eventually allowing the Spartans to tie things up when a 3-2 pitch to Marisa Sholtes, an All-Southern Conference First Teamer in 2018, left the yard.
 
Neither team threatened much in the sixth and Iona went quietly in the top half of the seventh. Zazzaro started the seventh, but she never made it out of the inning; a hit by pitch and a throwing error put runners on first and second for the Spartans with one away. Another throwing error by the Gael defense pushed home the winning run for the Spartans, as they completed the comeback and defeated the Maroon & Gold.

UP NEXT

Iona will play two tomorrow against Northern Kentucky as they conclude the first tournament of the 2019 season. The games are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

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