NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College softball team continued its excellent intra-conference play on Sunday, sweeping the visiting Canisius Golden Griffins. Iona has now won five consecutive games and is 8-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.

GAME ONE: IONA 2 – CANISIUS 0

Freshman Kara Zazzaro and sophomore Emily Nicosia were in the circle for their respective teams on Sunday in game one. Nicosia outdid Iona's rookie sensation for the early part of the afternoon. 
 
Zazzaro held her own despite allowing base runners in the first three innings. Nicosia was perfect through 4.1 innings before walking Natalia Meray; junior Ciarra DiGuilio reached base on a fielding error and suddenly it seemed that the Gaels might be the first of the two teams to break the scoreless tie. Zazzaro stepped up to the dish with a chance to help her own cause, but she was retired via the strikeout. Nicosia would get Hailey Thompson to ground out and neutralize the threat.
 
Iona would break through in the next inning. After two quick outs, freshman Jessica Chilcott singled towards third base, bringing up junior Jasmine Temple. The first two pitches were outside of the zone, the third was sent over the left field fence and put Iona ahead 2-0 late in the contest.
 
Zazzaro, after finally being granted a lead to work with, retired the Golden Griffs in order in the seventh and the Maroon & Gold took game one.

GAME TWO: IONA 6 – CANISIUS 1

The second game of the doubleheader pitted junior Marnie Skinner against Lauren Castro. Both starters held the opposition scoreless through the first two innings. In game two, it would be Canisius that would strike first.
 
Skinner walked Morgan Altman to open the third inning and Denver Keller followed that up with a run-scoring triple to make it 1-0 Canisius. Fortunately for Iona, Keller made a base running mistake that allowed Chilcott and Chiapparelli to run her down in between home and third for the first out of the inning. As quickly as the Golden Griffs grabbed the momentum, they gave it right back. Skinner would strike out the next two batters to escape the inning down by just one run.
 
After another scoreless inning for Iona's offense, Canisius threatened in the top of the fourth. Gabert dropped a fly ball that she came running in from centerfield to catch, which was followed by a double over her head that put runners on second and third with one away. Gabert made up for her earlier blunder tremendously, doubling up Hannah Catallo-Stooks as she tried to score on a fly ball to centerfield to end the frame.
 
Jasmine Temple struck again in game two as she led off the bottom of the fourth with an opposite-field homerun to tie the game at one apiece. One inning later, the Gaels would grab the lead; Brianna Buck doubled to begin the frame and came around to score the go-ahead run on a Gabert two-bagger down the left field line. The junior centerfielder scored on Chilcott's single through the right side to give Iona a two-run lead late.
 
The Maroon & Gold would put things out of reach in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Gabert hit another double, this time into the right centerfield gap, pushing two more runs across to make it 5-1. The extra base hit chased Canisius' starter and Iona would get one more run on a Chilcott extra base hit to take a 6-1 lead into the final frame.
 
Skinner, who began the top of the fifth deadlocked at 1-1, took the hill two innings later with a five-run cushion. The junior All-MAAC Preseason Selection at her position set down the visitors 1-2-3 to close out the sweep of the weekend for the Maroon & Gold at Donald E. Walsh Field.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• The Gaels have now won five straight games and are 8-2 in the MAAC.
• Iona scored in three straight innings in game two to allow Skinner to notch her sixth victory of the year. Earlier, Zazzaro earned her seventh win of 2019.
• Gabert's two doubles were a career-best single-game performance for the junior.
• The Maroon & Gold have topped Canisius in 11 of the last 13 matchups between the two programs. The Gaels haven't lost to the Griffs in New Rochelle since 2009.
• Zazzaro and Skinner combined to allow eight hits, one run, and strike out 12 while allowing just four free passes (two via a HBP). 
• Iona scored seven of its eight runs today in the fifth inning or later. 

UP NEXT

The Gaels will have the week off before hosting the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday, Apr. 20 at 12:00 p.m.

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