JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Iona College baseball lost to Saint Peter's in the season-finale, 12-7. The Peacocks had 12 hits and drew 10 walks. Saint Peter's left 13 runners on base compared to just four for the Maroon & Gold. Iona finishes the season with a 14-38, 8-16 MAAC record.
Iona and Saint Peter's combined in the first inning for nine total runs, six hits and two fielding errors . The Maroon & Gold scored five runs in the top half of the inning on three hits and one error. Senior
Fran Kinsey had a single to centerfield that scored senior
Niko Switalla. Rookie
Jake Field had a one-bagger that plated Kinsey and then back-to-back walks from rookie
Will Jennings and sophomore
Michael Gorman made it for runs. Iona's final run came across the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior
Joe DeMaio.
Saint Peter's answered with four runs in its first at-bat. Andrew Connor continued to be a leadoff hitter with a double to left field. Edwin Feliciano singled up the middle and via an Iona fielding error, Connor was able to scamper home. Hunter Mason walked to make it first and second and with one out, Jared Paladino hit a three-run home run over the left field fence.
Sophomore
Quentin Crudo started the game for the Gaels and was replaced in the second inning by rookie
Hunter Sibley.
Iona added two more to its run tally in the top of the third inning. Two run producing outs from Jennings and Gorman scored rookie
Daniel Palermo and junior
Brian Picone who had begun the inning with a pair of hits.
John Gavura started on the hill for the Peacocks and was replaced in the midst of the top of the third inning. His final line read two full innings with seven runs allowed, five earned, on five hits and four walks.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Peacocks scored two runs on three hits. Paladino brought home his fourth run with a single to left center, and then Jared Quintero hit a one-bagger to plate Peter Ferony and bring Saint Peter's back within one score.
Saint Peter's tied the game in the fourth inning and the Gaels fell behind in the bottom of the fifth inning. They were not able to complete the comeback to finish the season. The first three Peacocks reached base in the fifth and a bases clearing double to right field from Feliciano pushed the home team in front, 10-7. Iona had just one hit over its final four at-bats and Saint Peter's tacked on two runs in the eighth.
Jennings and Gorman had a team-high two runs batted in and did so without a hit. Palermo had a team-high two hits and scored two runs. The top five batters in Iona's order had six of the team's seven hits. They scored six of the team's seven runs.
Junior
James Sharkey suffers the loss for the Maroon & Gold. He tossed 1.1 innings and surrendering three earned runs on two hits and five walks. Each Gael hurler in the game allowed at least one earned run.
Feliciano had four hits and five RBIs for Saint Peter's. He also reached base once on a walk. Nicholas Sciubba had three runs scored from the bottom of the Peacock batting order. Nicholas Gennarelli earns the winning decision going 4.0 innings and allowing zero runs on two hits and two walks. Steve Epstein earns the save, getting the final out of the game.
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