WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Iona College softball team won the second of two games against Monmouth on Friday afternoon. Iona's offense put up four runs with two outs in the top of the seventh to come out on top 6-4. Freshman Kara Zazzaro set a new program single-game record with 17 strikeouts in the game one loss.

GAME ONE: MONMOUTH 2 – IONA 1

Two of the MAAC's finest took to the circle for game one of a pivotal doubleheader in the final week of conference play. Zazzaro and Alyssa Irons did not disappoint, doing battle for nearly 12 innings before the Hawks emerged victorious in the bottom of the 12^thinning.
 
The first run of the afternoon would come in the top of the third inning; senior Kimmie Chiapparelli drove home classmate Marisa Gergel on a ball that was mishandled in left field with two outs in the inning. Gergel doubled to the left centerfield gap earlier in the frame. Junior Jasmine Temple singled to third base to put two runners on for Iona's cleanup hitter, and she came through to plate the first run. It would be the only run that Iona would score in game one.
 
Zazzaro had allowed just two hits through the first four innings, stranding both runners in separate innings. Monmouth would find equalizer without recording a hit in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff hit batsman would eventually move up 120 feet after a passed ball and a sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Danielle Dominik sent a ball deep enough into the outfield, allowing pinch runner Morgan Maziarz to score and even the game at 1-1.
 
The game would head into extra innings tied at one apiece. Zazzaro had scattered two hits and allowed just the one unearned run through seven full frames. Irons was just as good through her seven innings pitched. 
 
One runner reached for both sides through the first two extra frames of play; neither advanced further than first base. Zazzaro allowed a two-out double in the bottom of the 10^thinning but got DeAngie Jimenez to bounce out to short and send the game further into the afternoon.
 
Junior Ciarra DiGuilio pulled a double into the gap with one out in the top of the 11^thinning. With the go-ahead run in scoring position, Irons got senior Hailey Thompson to strikeout and got her opposition on the mound, Kara Zazzaro, to roll over on a ball and ground out to short to end the frame.
 
Zazzaro would work around an error in the bottom of the 11^th; after Iona's offense was retired in order in the 12^th, Amber Wozniak led off the bottom of the 12^thwith a triple to left field. Zazzaro set down the next hitter via a pop out to the right side of the infield before hitting another batter to place runners on the corners with one out. Erika Coreth ended things with a single into centerfield, plating the game-winning run as the Hawks took game one in walk-off fashion.

GAME TWO: IONA 6 – MONMOUTH 4

The second game of the doubleheader began with Iona taking another early lead. The Gaels got to Monmouth starter Lilly Robles early and chased her out of the game before she could record an out. Three straight hits to begin the game gave Iona the lead, punctuated by Temple's two-RBI double. Robles walked Chiapparelli and exited the game in favor of game one starter Alyssa Irons. In relief, Irons would allow a single to load the bases with one out, but got Taylor Brown to bounce into an inning-ending double play to end the first.
 
Marnie Skinner surrendered a leadoff homerun to Lindsey Baron, trimming Iona's lead to just one run. Iona's starter would settle in though, retiring the next six batters she faced.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Monmouth would tie things at two apiece on a single by Amanda Hopeck. Kayla Rosado, who doubled to begin the frame, came around to score. Hopeck would come around to score the go-ahead run on a two-out single off the bat of Jimenez.
 
The Gaels were silenced until the top of the seventh. Irons got the first out of the frame, but freshman Hannah Collins started the team's four-run rally with a double to left field. Kayla Hujber followed that with a single and stole second in the midst of Gergel's at-bat that ended with a pop up to shortstop. Down to the last out, with the tying run on second base, sophomore Natalia Meray singled back through the box to score Collins and Hujber and tie the game. Temple promptly sent a ball over the left field fence to give Iona a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh.
 
Skinner retired the Hawks in order in the bottom of the seventh and the Gaels would emerge victorious in game number two.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Zazzaro's 17 strikeouts in game one set a new single-game program record. The previous mark was set by Sarah Jackson in 2009 against Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Zazzaro and Irons combined to pitch 23.1 innings in game one, striking out 30 batters and allowing just one earned run.
• Irons threw 19 innings in the doubleheader, 18 of which were unblemished before Iona touched her up for four runs with two outs in the seventh inning of game two.
• Temple plated four runs in game two on two extra-base hits. Her two-out, two-run homerun in the seventh inning was her sixth of the season. Her sixth HR ties her career-high, set last season.
• Gergel, Meray and Temple all had multi-hit games in the 6-4 win. The three combined for six hits and Temple and Meray accounted for all six Iona runs driven in.
• Skinner scattered 12 hits across her complete-game win, allowing four runs and striking out four.

UP NEXT

Iona will wrap up the regular season tomorrow at Rider. The doubleheader is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.

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