BRONX, NY – The Iona College baseball program lost the weekend finale to Fordham on Saturday afternoon, 5-1. Rookie
Hunter Sibley was out dueled on the mound despite going six strong innings.
GAME SUMMARY
The game remained scoreless for the opening three innings until Fordham broke through in its half of the fourth. Jake Guerico had a two-RBI single through the right side to score Matt Tarabek and Justin Bardwell. Alvin Melendez gave the Rams a 3-0 lead with a base-knock scoring Guerico.
Sibley left the game after throwing the first six innings. He allowed just those three earned runs in the fourth. Fordham had five hits and two walks against him. Sibley threw 87 pitches.
Iona scored its lone run in the sixth inning. Sophomore
Brian Picone scored on a balk by Fordham starter John Stankiewicz. The Rams hurler had a strong game going seven innings allowing one run on five hits. He walks seven batters and threw 102 pitches.
Fellow rookie
Drew Helmstetter threw one inning of scoreless relief in the seventh. He struck out one and walked one. Junior
James Sharkey pitched the eighth inning and allowed Fordham's final two runs. The Rams closed the game with Anthony Zimmerman's two scoreless innings.
Five different Gaels had a single hit; Picone, senior
Fran Kinsey, senior
Niko Switalla, rookie
Jake Field and junior
Stephen Furman.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona tied a season-high with 12 strikeouts today. It also had 12 in loss to Marshall on Feb. 22. It was the Gaels first game with double-digit strikeouts since the contest against the Herd.
- Fordham held the Gaels to without an extra-base for the second time this season. The Maroon & Gold had no extra-base hits against Indiana State on Feb. 24.
- In his first five games this season, Picone has five hits, five runs scored, four walks and two extra base hits. He had his first strikeout of the season on Saturday against the Rams.
- Kinsey is riding a five-game hitting streak in which he is batting 7-for-16 with three runs scored.
- Rookie Daniel Palermo saw action in all of a series for the first time and in three games he went 2-for-7 with a triple and two walks.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold return to action on Tuesday, Mar. 12 at Stony Brook's Joe Nathan Field. First pitch between the Gaels and the Seawolves is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Iona does have its home-opener on Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 3 p.m. against St. John's. The home slate begins from City Park at 3 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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