NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College softball team split its doubleheader vs. Manhattan on Saturday. Iona is now 9-3 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this season and sit in third place in the conference standings.

GAME ONE: IONA 3 – MANHATTAN 2

Two rookies got the nod in the opening game of the doubleheader, Kara Zazzaro and Jesse Rising. Zazzaro got through the first without any damage; Rising did not.
 
Iona struck for two runs in the bottom of the opening frame, which began with a single from senior Marisa Gergel. Rising got two quick outs after that, but a passed ball allowed Gergel to move to second and she was promptly sent home by a Kimmie Chiapparelli bloop single down the left field line. Iona's third baseman came around to score after sophomore Natalia Meray doubled her home, pushing the Gaels' lead to 2-0.
 
Zazzaro would run into a bit of trouble in the top of the third, loading the bases without allowing a hit. An error, walk and a hit batsmen brought up Christine Gebhardt with two away and nowhere to put the Jasper first baseman. Zazzaro got her to fly out to left field to strand the bases juiced.
 
Rising made quick work of the Maroon & Gold in the bottom of the third and Zazzaro set down the Green & White in order in the next half inning. The rookie helped herself out in the bottom of the fourth when she laced an RBI-double to the right centerfield gap to give her squad a three-run lead.
 
A walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases again for Manhattan in the top of the fifth. Zazzaro got a huge strikeout for the second out of the frame, but Gebhardt came through this time, singling home two runners to cut the Iona lead to 3-2. Megan Gillooley was retired via a strikeout with the tying and go-ahead runs on base to end the fifth.
 
Zazzaro would shut the Jaspers down in the sixth and despite offering a free pass in the top of the seventh, she completed what she started and locked down Iona's sixth straight win.

GAME TWO: IONA 0 – MANHATTAN 5

The Jaspers would be the ones to take an early lead in game two of the doubleheader. Freshman Annie Moore took Iona starter Marnie Skinner deep in the top of the first, giving Manhattan an early 3-0 advantage. 
 
Manhattan's Kayla McDermott was lights out to start the contest, holding the Gaels hitless through the first 2.2 innings of play. Kayla Hujber doubled with two away in the bottom of the third, but Gergel was set down as the lineup turned back over for the first time in the game.
 
Skinner continuously worked out of jams after a three-run first inning. Manhattan loaded the bases without a hit for the second straight game as Skinner began to lose control of her pitches. She would get out of the mess thanks to a pop-up on the infield, keeping the deficit at three runs. Freshman Jessica Chilcott began the next half inning with a single, but was left on first base after McDermott retired the next three batters.
 
Skinner got two quick outs in the top of the fifth before a single and an extra-base hit plated another run to make it 4-0. Another run would be pushed across on a Victoria Alonso double in the top of the seventh.
 
McDermott finished out the game for Manhattan, allowing just one hit over the final three innings to secure the split for the visitors.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Zazzaro's win was her eighth of the season. She is now 8-8 in her freshman campaign.
• Chiapparelli and Meray combined to go 4-6 in game one and drive in two of Iona's three runs. It was the sixth time this season that the two registered multi-hit games.
• Manhattan's two pitchers offered just one free pass across both games today. Iona's starters conceded 10 free passes, three by the way of a HBP.
• The Gaels left seven runners on base in the doubleheader; the Jaspers stranded 17 runners across the two games.
• Chilcott reached base twice in game two after being held hitless in game one.
• Gergel and Hujber have now reached base in three consecutive games.

UP NEXT

The Gaels will host St. John's on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup; first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Donald E. Walsh Field.

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