LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Iona College baseball team opened up its season on the road against the Siena Saints at Connors Park on Sunday afternoon with a pair of losses. The Gaels had a chance for a crazy comeback in game one but fell 4-3, and the Saints controlled game two 15-5 in seven innings. Iona's first run of the season came in the top of the second inning on a big blast from senior catcher Sam Punzi. The solo shot was his fifth career home run, and it gave the Gaels a 1-0 lead.

The Saints responded in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs. Bryce Mordecki hit a double to left center scoring Eddie Sweeney to tie the game and Mordecki came around to cross the plate on an Evan St. Claire RBI single.

The score remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth inning when Siena opened up a 4-1 lead with a two-run round-tripper from Pat O'Hare. The home run knocked out Iona starer Zach Grace in his first career start with Iona. Grace's outing went 5.2 innings allowing four earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five batters and walked only one.

Jim Kemp walked to begin the top of the seventh inning and was pinch ran for by Owen Christy. Tony Santa Maria singled through the left side and Christy advanced to second. Things got truly interesting when Nick Carnevale singled through singled through the left side, scoring Christy and putting the game tying run on base.

Siena made a pitching change and brought on Carter Knapek to try and get the final two outs. Knapek got Jake Liberatore to fly out to centerfield but it scored Santa Maria to make the score 4-3. With the tying run on second base, Iona's Jake Field flew out to centerfield to end the scheduled seven inning game.

Carnevale went 3-for-4 in the batters box with one run batted in. Field had two hits in four batting appearances.

Siena's Mike McCully got the winning decision for Siena going the first 6.1 innings allowing three earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five batters and walked one while hitting one batter. Iona jumped out to a one-run lead in the top of the first inning. Carnevale walked and then scored just one batter later with Field doubling down the right field. Siena Saints starter John Lumpinski settled down after that and struck out the side to end the frame.

James Sharkey started the game for the Maroon & Gold and went only the first inning allowing two runs on two hits and one hit batter. Paul Sullivan came on and pitched to one batter before the Maroon & Gold dove into the bullpen.

The Saints scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth, cauterized by a double down the right field line off the bat of Ryan McGee that scored Donavan Montgomery and St. Claire and gave the Saints a 7-2 lead. The margin swelled in the bottom of the fourth with three more runs, emphasized by a two-run home run to left field by Eddie Sweeney.

The lead swelled to double-digits with a two-run RBI single from Carson Dunkel in the bottom of the fifth inning. Trailing 12-1, the Gaels would never get within single digits of Siena.

The last four runs scored by the Maroon & Gold all came later in the game. Dylan Winebrenner had a run scoring single in the top of the sixth. In the seventh inning he would add another RBI one-bagger, along with Tyler Cannon and Shane Adamski.

The game ended after seven innings due to new Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rules during this season which ends a scheduled nine-inning game after seven if a team is winning by 10.

Lumpinski earned the win going five innings and surrendering only the one earned run in the top of the first innings. Sharkey suffers the losing decision.

Siena outhit Iona 18 to seven. The Maroon & Gold used five pitchers while the Saints used three. Iona will play two games against the Saints tomorrow, beginning once again at noon. Both games are being aired on Siena All-Access. Gael Nation can also follow Iona via Live Stats and Iona athletics social media. Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
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