NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College baseball team lost in 9-4 its home finale vs. Monmouth on Monday. The Gaels had been within one run through five innings, but the Hawks used a four-run eighth inning to pull away late.

GAME SUMMARY

Hunter Sibley and Dan Klepchick got the start for their respective sides, battling through the poor weather conditions in New Rochelle. Both pitchers worked scoreless innings in the first and second.
 
The scoring picked up in the top of the third; Max Goione raced home to score on a wild pitch from Sibley after reaching second base on a throwing error earlier in the frame. Kyle Norman had laid down a sacrifice bunt the prior at bat to put two runners in scoring position with two outs.
 
Klepchick set down the Gaels in order in the bottom half of the third and his offense would provide him with an even larger cushion the next half inning. The Hawks loaded the bases with two singles and a hit batsman to begin the fourth. Sibley punched out Danny Long on three pitches for the first out but would walk the next batter on four pitches to force in a run. Colin McCreary singled just past the outstretched arm of the diving Garrett Murray at second base to make it a 4-0 game in favor of the visitors.
 
The Maroon & Gold would answer back in their half of the fourth; it began with senior Niko Switalla being hit by a pitch. Classmate Fran Kinsey laid down a picture perfect bunt down the third base line for a single and Sam Punzi's single into leftfield got Iona on the board. Stephen Furman trimmed the deficit in half with a run-scoring single and Jake Field drew a seven-pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. Murray skied Kelpchick's 1-2 offering into leftfield, deep enough to plate a run and make it a 4-3 game with one out in the bottom of the fourth. An infield single by graduate student Jon Budesa would load the bases again, but Klepchick escaped the jam without allowing another run.
 
Michael Untracht entered in relief for Iona in the top of the fifth, allowing the first two batters he faced to reach. The southpaw got the next hitter to fly out, then walked the next batter to load the bases. Monmouth got a run back on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Long, but Untracht would hold the Hawks off the board after that.
 
Quentin Crudo would take Untracht's place the next inning; he worked two scoreless frames before things got ugly in the top of the eighth. As the rain continued to fall on and off, Crudo began to lose his control. Three consecutive walks would increase the Monmouth lead to four runs and force Crudo out of the ballgame. Jason Antalek would eventually allow two of his three inherited runners to score, making it a 9-3 game after seven and a half innings.
 
Budesa and the Gaels would get a run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-4, but Ryan Steckline would close the door on the Gaels in the bottom of the ninth to complete the series sweep for Monmouth.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Seniors Garrett Murray and Jon Budesa accounted for two of Iona's four RBI.
• Furman and Field collected two hits each in the loss.
• Monmouth stranded 10 runners on base in the contest, hitting just 5-19 with runners on against Iona pitching.
• The two teams combined for 13 runs on 19 hits. 17 of the 19 base hits were singles.
• The Gaels' pitching staff walked seven batters, striking out just four.
• Antalek worked 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball in relief.

UP NEXT

Iona will wrap up its regular season on Thursday and Friday on the road at Saint Peter's. The two teams will play a doubleheader on May 16, beginning at noon. The series finale is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. the next day.

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