NEW BRITAIN, CT – The Iona College softball team split at the Nor'easter Classic on Sunday, defeating Boston University 1-0 in the second game of the day. Freshman Kara Zazzaro threw a complete game shutout in the victory, scattering four hits and striking out one to help the Gaels to their second win of the season.

GAME ONE: MAINE 3 – IONA 1

Natalia Meray opened up game one with a single and Marisa Gergel walked to put two runners on in the top of the first. Freshman Jessica Chilcott grounded out to second, but both runners advanced to bring up senior Kimmie Chiapparelli with two ducks on the pond. She sent a ball into centerfield deep enough to score Meray from third and give the Gaels an advantage early. Jasmine Temple grounded out to short with Gergel on third to limit the damage.
 
Junior All-MAAC Preseason Selection Marnie Skinner worked around a single in each of the first two innings and a base on balls in the third inning to hold Maine scoreless.
 
The Maroon & Gold were retired in order, nine batters in a row after scoring in the first, sending Skinner back to the mound with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
 
A single, walk and a stolen base put runners on the corners with nobody out for the Black Bears to begin the fourth. Meghan Royle singled home a run and Maddie Decker's two-bagger brought home the go-ahead run. With nobody out and the lead gone, Skinner managed to strand runners on second and third and end the fourth frame.
 
Maine's rookie starter Emily Reid struck out the side in the fifth and got three groundouts to retire the side in order in the next inning.
 
Skinner cruised through the fifth in order but ran into more trouble in the sixth. A leadoff walk, followed by an error put two runners in scoring position with no outs and forced head coach Katie Jansson to bring in freshman Kara Zazzaro. She walked the first batter she faced to load the bases but struck out the next batter to record the first out of the sixth inning. A groundball on the infield got Zazzaro the second out but also pushed across the third run for the Black Bears. The rookie notched her second strikeout of the inning to keep Iona in the thick of things.
 
Reid retired Chilcott and Chiapparelli to open the seventh, the 17^thconsecutive batter set down for the Maroon & Gold. Down to their last out, Temple drew a walk to bring junior Ciarra DiGuilio to the plate as the tying run; she hit into a fielder's choice and Maine escaped with the victory in the first game of the day.

GAME TWO: IONA 1 – BOSTON U. 0

Iona's second game of the day began slow; Meray, Gergel and Chilcott all struck out in the top half of the first frame. Zazzaro stranded a runner on second after a leadoff single and a stolen base.
 
Temple drew a one-out walk in the second, but DiGuilio and Taylor Brown became Emily Gant's fourth and fifth strikeout victims of the contest. Zazzaro battled again in the bottom half of the second. After a one-out walk, the lead runner was taken off the base paths via a fielder's choice. The Terrier's loaded the bases with two outs but Zazzaro retired her counterpart, Gant, with a grounder to second.
 
Gant struck out the side again in the third, notching her eighth victim of her ten batters faced over the first three frames. Boston got the leadoff runner on for the second time of the day when Zazzaro hit a batter. Two lineouts and a ground ball got the rookie through the inning however.
 
Zazzaro stranded a base runner for the fifth consecutive inning after a one-out double. The Maroon & Gold were still hitless after five full innings of play in New Britain.
 
Iona struck in the sixth; Meray doubled with two away, the Gaels first hit off of Gant. Gergel followed suit, singling home Meray and giving the Maroon & Gold a late one-run lead.
 
After having to work around a runner in each of the first five innings, Zazzaro notched her first one-two-three inning in the sixth after being granted a one-run advantage in the prior half inning.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, protecting a one-run lead, Zazzaro allowed a single with one away. The tying run moved to scoring position after an error defensively by Meray, which also put the game-winning run on first with just one out. Zazzaro, as she had done all game long, worked around the runners on base and got two pop outs to notch the victory for the Maroon & Gold.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Natalia Meray, the only Gael to record a hit in the first game, scored Iona's lone run of the contest.
• The Maroon & Gold were limited to just three base runners against Maine's starter Emily Reid.
• Marnie Skinner was charged with all three runs against Maine; Zazzaro inherited two runners in the bottom of the sixth and allowed one to come around to score.
• In game two, the Gaels had just one base runner through the first four innings of play.
• The Maroon & Gold were held hitless through the first five innings of the second game; The Terriers put a runner on in the first five innings of the contest.
• Meray's two-out double was the first hit of the game for Iona and resulted in the lone run of the contest for both sides.
• Zazzaro's complete game shutout was the first of her collegiate career and the first by a member of the Iona staff this year.

UP NEXT

The Iona College softball team will host Sacred Heart University for their home opener on Wednesday afternoon. The doubleheader will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Donald E. Walsh Field.

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