NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College softball team was swept by the visiting Army Black Knights on Wednesday. The Gaels lost a close one in the first of two contests and were topped in five innings in the second game.

GAME ONE: ARMY 5 – IONA 3

Things were shaky at the start for Iona starter Kara Zazzaro; a walk and a wild throw from the hot corner put runners on second and third to open the day. A fly ball to left field sent the runner from third racing to the plate, but freshman Jessica Chilcott fired a dart to the plate in time for a double play. On the very same play, amidst the celebration by the Iona fielders involved in the double play, the runner from second base came around to score after the ball was thrown back to Zazzaro and before time was granted by the home plate umpire. Army led 1-0 at the end of the first after a bizzare sequence.
 
After two quick outs, Chilcott roped one into left field for a single. A passed ball allowed her to move up to second and Jasmine Temple's ground ball found the outfield grass and evened the score at one apiece. Miscommunication on a fly ball allowed Kimmie Chiapparelli to reach base and kept the inning alive for Ciarra DiGuilio; she delivered, with a line drive down the left field line and into the corner, pushing across two more runs for the Maroon & Gold. 
 
Zazzaro protected the 3-1 lead in the top of the second, but a two-out line drive in the third inning clipped the top of freshman Brianna Buck's glove and allowed Ally Snelling to reach second. Emily Ballesteros singled home Snelling and trimmed Iona's lead to just one. Zazzaro got an inning-ending strikeout to strand the tying run on second base.
 
The score was evened again when a passed ball allowed Maddie Kim to race home and pushed the go-ahead run to third base with two away in the top of the fourth. A perfectly placed bunt gave Army a 4-3 lead before Iona could escape the inning.
 
The Black Knights provided some cushion for their starting pitcher in the top of the fifth when Ashley Yoo secured her second two-out RBI in the contest. After being held hitless for the last four frames, Temple singled to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Chiapparelli singled back through the box but Temple was held up at third base. Jolie Duong got DiGuilio to roll over to second base and Army remained ahead 5-3 after six full innings.
 
Iona looked primed to mount a comeback in the final frame, putting the tying runs on base to open the inning. Duong got three straight fly balls to thwart the Gaels' chances at stealing game one.

GAME TWO: ARMY 10 – IONA 1

Junior Marnie Skinner took the hill for the second game and ran into immediate trouble in the first inning. The Black Knights loaded the bases with nobody out thanks to a leadoff walk and a couple of singles. Emily Ballesteros hit a sacrifice fly to plate the first run of the game. Later in the inning, Julia Wyatt sent a double down the right field line that cleared the bases and made it 4-0; Wyatt was cut down for the second out trying to stretch a double into a triple. In Iona's turn at-bat, Chilcott tripled down the line with two outs, but Renee Poirer struck out Temple to keep the Maroon & Gold off the board.
 
Skinner settled in a little in the second inning, retiring the side in order. The Gael offense could not capitalize on an Army fielding error though, forgoing a solid scoring chance with two runners on and none out to open the frame.
 
Things got out of hand in the top of the third inning; four batters in, the Black Knights extended their lead to 6-0. Two consecutive walks loaded the bases, but a cue shot that traveled all of two feet in front of the plate was picked up by Chilcott and forced out the lead runner at the plate for the second out. As the lineup turned over for Army, they scored three more runs to make it a 10-0 advantage. A ground ball handled by Taylor Brown up the middle ended the six-run inning.
 
A pair of two-out walks brought Chiapparelli to the dish with a chance to trim the deficit, but she popped out to the shortstop to conclude the bottom of the third. The Gaels finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Brianna Buck homered over the right field fence, the first long ball of her collegiate career.
 
Poirer set down the Maroon & Gold in order in the bottom of the fifth, enforcing the mercy rule and ending the game. 

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Buck's opposite-field blast was the first of the season for the freshman and the first one of her collegiate career.
• DiGuilio tossed two perfect innings in relief of Skinner, striking out four batters. The appearance was the first of her career.
• Chilcott's triple was the first of her career and the first by any member of the Maroon & Gold this season.
• Army's Jolie Duong retired 15 straight batters before Temple's single in the bottom of the sixth.
• Chilcott's outfield assist in the first inning of game one was the third of the season for the rookie. 
• Zazzaro's complete game was the 11^thof her freshman campaign, a team-high. She now sports a 4-7 record with a 2.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a .202 BAA.

UP NEXT

Iona will hit the road and face off with MAAC foe Saint Peter's on Sunday afternoon. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m.

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