NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College baseball program dropped a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games to Monmouth University on Saturday, May 11. The Hawks took the first game at City Park 6-2 in 13 innings, and secured the series win with 1 6-1 decision in the second game.
GAME ONE: Monmouth 6, Iona 2 (13 Innings)
The game was tied at 2-2 entering extra innings after two stout starting pitching performances from both teams. Iona had a chance to end the game in the bottom of the 12
th with runners on second and third and two outs, but could not cash in. The Hawks made the Maroon & Gold pay for it in the 13
th inning.
Kyle Norman started reaching base on a Gael fielding error and advanced to second on a one-out single by Zach Schild. Norman reached third base on a wild pitch while Johnny Zega was at the plate. One the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Zega hit a fly out to centerfield that scored Norman, giving Monmouth a 3-2 lead. JD Andreessen kept the inning going with a single to the pitcher, and then Danny Long hit a one-bagger to right field that plated Schild. Already leading by two, the Hawks doubled it to four and made it 6-2 with a two-out, two TBI single to left of the bat of JP Walsh.
The Gaels had one runner reach base in the bottom of the 13
th inning before the side was retired.
Iona has played in five extra-inning games of the season and Saturday was its second straight. The Gaels are 1-4 in such games with the lone win coming against Quinnipiac on Saturday, May 4.
Senior
Antonio Velardi suffers the losing decision for Iona. He went four innings allowing four runs, all unearned, on four hits and one walk. He struck out two batters. Junior
Stephen Hansen started the game for the Maroon & Gold and went seven innings allowing two earned runs and seven hits and one walk. He struck out five batters. Rookie
Drew Helmstetter pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings that propelled the game into extra frames.
Monmouth's Nick Houghton gets the winning decision going the final 2.1 innings surrendering zero runs on two hits. He struck out three of the 10 batters he faced. James Kelly started the game and went six innings allowed Iona's two runs, both earned, on four hits and one walk. Ryan Lillie tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in the in-between.
Iona's two RBI hits came from the bottom of the order from sophomore
Michael Gorman and junior
Brian Picone. They plated rookies
Daniel Palermo and
Will Jennings, respectfully. Jennings had a team-best two hits. Six other batters had one hits. Monmouth's five through eight hitters had nine of its 12 hits. Zega had three hits and two runs batted in to lead all student-athletes. Each team left nine runners on base.
GAME TWO: Monmouth 6, Iona 1
Iona trailed 1-0 after the top of the second inning but knotted the game at one in the bottom of the fourth inning on a run-producing groundout from by Jennings. The game broke open in the top of the sixth inning when Monmouth scored five runs, all of which were unearned.
Again it was Norman who reached base to begin the inning on a Gael error. Then again Schild reached and the carrousel of baserunners began for the visiting team. The Hawks took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly by Andreessen and then long had a single to left field that put the Maroon & Gold down by two.
Junior
James Sharkey came on to replace Iona starter Chris Dorill with one out and runners on first and second. He was greeted by a RBI single and then proceeded to walk three straight batters that put Iona in a five run hole heading into their last two at-bats.
Dodrill suffers the loss for Iona after starting the game and going the first 5.2 innings. Five runs allowed were accredited to him, but only one earned run. Sharkey went a third of an inning and his line reads one earned run allowed. Junior
Jason Goetz pitched a scoreless top of the seventh.
Monmouth used two pitchers in the win. Rob Henesy started and went 3.1 innings allowing one run on two hits and two walks. He also hit two batters. He needed 51 pitches. Mason Miler came into the game in the fourth inning and pitched the last 3.2 on just 39 pitches, allowing no hits and just one walk. Miler earned the winning decision.
Iona's two hits in game two came from juniors
Sam Punzi and
Stephen Furman. Each also walked once.
The Hawks had six hits in game two to go along with seven free passes. Everyone reached base in their batting order expect one person.
UP NEXT
The Gaels play their final home game tomorrow at City Park. First pitch between the Gaels and Hawks is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. There will be a brief senior day ceremony prior to the game where head coach
Paul Panik and members of the Iona community will recognize the five student-athletes who are playing in their final home game:
Niko Switalla,
Fran Kinsey,
Joe DeMaio,
Garrett Murray and
Jon Budesa.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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