NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College softball team swept the Sacred Heart Pioneers in the team's 2019 home-opening doubleheader on Wednesday. Junior Marnie Skinner and freshman Kara Zazzaro both pitched complete-game shutouts and the Gael offense scored nine runs on the day.

GAME ONE: IONA 2 – SACRED HEART 0

Things were quiet to begin the game; the Gaels put a runner on in both of the first two innings but were held scoreless and Sacred Heart went down 1-2-3 in the opening two frames. Junior Marnie Skinner singled in her first at bat of the season in the second inning but was stranded on first to end the inning.
 
The Pioneers' Kira Ferraiolo doubled to lead off the third and advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt. Skinner got a grounder to third to hold the runner and record the second out, then got Hailey Desrosiers to fly out to right.
 
Skinner left another Sacred Heart runner in scoring position after allowing a one-out double in the fourth. Iona loaded the bases in the bottom half of the fourth with nobody out, but Kristen McCann escaped the inning without allowing a run thanks to a couple of strikeouts.
 
The Gaels loaded the bases again in the fifth, but this time they got the big hit they were looking for. Junior Jasmine Temple lined a ball through the right side with two away and drove home two runners, putting the Maroon & Gold on top.
 
The two runs would be all the cushion that Skinner needed; she retired the final six Pioneers to notch her first victory of the season and deliver a win for the home team in their first game at Donald E. Walsh Field.

GAME TWO: IONA 7 – SACRED HEART 0

The rookie, Kara Zazzaro, got the nod in the second game against Sacred Heart. She ran into a little bit of trouble in the top half of the first, but left runners on first and third to hold the Pioneers at bay. She got some help from her defense in the second inning when second baseman Taylor Brown dove to snatch a line drive out of the air and double off the runner at first.
 
Freshman Hannah Collins took advantage of a defensive miscue that allowed Ciarra DiGuilio to move to third, plating her with a single into rightfield with one away in the bottom of the second. 
 
The Pioneers threatened in the third inning, but Zazzaro got a huge strikeout for the second out of the inning. The next batter fouled out and Sacred Heart stranded two more runners in scoring position.
 
The Maroon & Gold would provide some more insurance for Zazzaro in the third, and the rookie helped out her own cause. An infield single for DiGuilio brought home the second run of the game for Iona; Zazzaro followed that up with the first hit of her career, plating Temple with the third run of the game.
 
Sacred Heart starter Colleen Walsh loaded the bases in the fifth and subsequently was removed from the game when she offered a run-scoring free pass to Brown. Shyanne Fennel relieved her and walked Collins to make it 5-0 in favor of the Gaels. Senior Marisa Gergel singled home a run and rookie Jessica Chilcott drew a bases-loaded walk, the third of the inning for the Maroon & Gold to push Iona's lead to 7-0.
 
Zazzaro closed things out on her own without any trouble to win her third game of the season and complete the sweep for Iona.

UP NEXT

Iona hits the road to open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action against Siena on Saturday and Marist on Sunday. Both games are doubleheaders and are slated to begin at noon.

SOCIAL MEDIA

ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (E-Mail Updates)
Iona Softball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (E-Mail Updates)
Tweet #ICSB
Tweet #MAACSoftball
Tweet #GaelNation