LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Iona College baseball team earned a four-game series split with a doubleheader sweep of Siena. The Gaels came from behind in both contests winning the opener 16-10 and the nightcap 10-7. In game 1, the Maroon & Gold scored all of its runs in the final five innings to earn the victory. Game two saw Iona trailing 6-0 after three innings and 7-6 heading into its final at bat before a four-run ninth sealed the win.

GAME ONE SUMMARY: Iona 16, Siena 10 (7 Innings)

Siena pounced on the scoreboard first with Ryan McGee hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the first. The Saints tagged Iona's rookie starter Blake Helmstetter for four runs on three hits over the first two innings.
 
The first runs for the Maroon & Gold came in the top of the third. Freshman SS Tony Santa Maria led the inning off with a single to left field, setting the table for the top of the order. Junior 3B Nick Carnevale walked to put runners on first and second and in his second plate appearance of the game, Junior IF Jake Liberatore singled through the left side to score Santa Maria. The Gaels cut the deficit to two runs with junior OF Jake Field lining a base knock into the outfield to score Carnevale.
 
After a rocky first two innings, Helmstetter settled down for a much-needed quiet inning in the bottom of the third. The Saints went marching one, two, three, and the Maroon & Gold were back up in the batter's box.
 
Iona poured in six runs in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman OF Jaz Burton scored on a wild pitch and Liberatore gave the Gaels a 5-4 lead with a single through the left side to plate Santa Maria and junior C Brad Polinsky. Siena made a pitching change and brought in Connor Bovair to try and calm the Iona bats. The strategy did not pay off. After Field was retired on a foul out, senior DH Sam Punzi hit his second home run of the season and pushed the Maroon & Gold advantage to 8-4.
 
The Gaels tacked on a run in the top of the fifth with Burton scoring on a wild pitch for the second straight inning.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, Iona lit up Connors Park again for five runs, but on only two hits. After another Siena pitching change to start the inning, the Gaels got three free base runners to set the table for the inning. Polinsky walked to score the first run, and after another run scored on a wild pitch, junior OF Will Jennings delivered a two RBI single to right center. Field got in on the fun with a single to left field, scoring Jennings. The Gaels led 14-4 after six innings.
 
Helmstetter was relieved in the top of bottom of the sixth inning and Siena was happy to see it. The Saints crawled back into the game with five runs on three hits. Randall Hein had a two RBI single in the inning and while both McGee and Pat O'Hare each had RBI bats as well.
 
Leading 14-9 entering the top of the seventh inning, Iona thought it necessary to add a couple of insurance runs. Graduate OF Jake Oliger started the inning with a walk and came around to score on a throwing error by the Siena catcher while attempting to steal third base. Burton, who also reached base on a free pass, crossed home plate on a Santa Maria sacrifice fly.
 
Siena sent six batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and got one run to make the final score 16-10.
 
Helmstetter collected the win for Iona. He tossed five innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out eight batters. Freshman RHP Cole Murray appeared in the game and failed to collect an out but sophomore RHP Thomas O'Sullivan touched up the final two innings for the Gaels allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out four.
 
Siena used six pitchers in the game but it was the starter Bovair who took the loss allowing seven earned runs in three innings.
 
The Gaels had five players with multiple hits and both Liberatore and Punzi had three runs batted in. Santa Maria was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored from the nine spot in the order. Iona drew 12 walks as a team and were hit by two pitches.
 
The first game of the doubleheader took three and a half hours to complete, but it was well worth the time for the Maroon & Gold's first win of the season.

GAME TWO SUMMARY: Iona 10, Siena 7 (9 Innings)

Siena did most of its damage in its first at-bat of the nine-inning second contest, scoring five runs on three hits, all with two-out. Iona starter Clark Eder made quick work of the first two batters in the inning before loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch and two walks. A wild pitch scored the Saints' first run. Back-to-back infield hits plated two more runs, before a third walk in the inning reloaded the bases. Devan Kruzinski drove in the last two runs with a base hit before Eder recorded the final out.
 
Iona went without a run in its first three turns at the plate, with Santa Maria recording the team's lone hit. After the Saints added a sixth run in the bottom of the third, the Gaels threatened in the next half inning but stranded two in scoring position and trailed 6-0 after four complete.
 
In the fifth, Iona halved its deficit with three runs on three hits. With runners at the corners and one-out, Liberatore drove in Jennings with the Gaels' third straight hit and chasing Siena starter Jayden Metz. Field followed with an RBI groundout. After back-to-back walks, Liberatore came home on a wild pitch to make the score 6-3.
 
After a scoreless sixth that saw six up and six down for both squads, Iona added another run in the seventh on a two-out single by Oliger.  Iona broke even in the eighth, scoring twice with two out in the inning. Both tallies came home without a hit, with Jennings scoring on a wild pitch, and Santa Maria scampering home on a throwing error following a failed pickoff attempt.
 
The tie was short lived as Siena plated a go-ahead run on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Trailing by one in their final at-bat, the Gaels plated four runs to seal the win.  With one out, back-to-back walks to Oliger and Tyler Cannon put the tying and go-ahead runs on base.   After Siena reliever Carter Knapek struck out the next batter, Polinsky came through as a pinch hitter to score Oliger and knot the game at 7-7.   One batter later, Jennings loaded the bases after striking out and reaching first on a wild pitch. Santa Maria was hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count to send home the go-head run.  Liberatore added needed insurance with a two-out two-run single to round out the scoring in the wild contest.
 
The Saints would get the tying run to the plate with two-out in the final frame, but reliever Brendan Smith put the game away on a come backer to finish the contest.
 
Liberatore went 3-for-6 and drove in three runs while Santa Maria, Field, and Jennings recorded two hits apiece.  All 11 of the Gaels' hits were singles and the team took advantage of six walks, two HBPs and four errors by the Saints to earn a double-digit run total for the second straight contest.
 
Following a rocky first by Eder, Drew Helmstetter came on to pitch five solid innings allowing a run on three hits with six strikeouts to keep the Maroon & Gold in the game.  Smith earned the win, tossing the games final three innings, allowing just one unearned run.
 
Knapek took the loss for the Saints.  He came on in the seventh inning and was charged with six runs on five hits.  He struck out five Gaels but walked three and threw five wild pitches and was credited with the loss.

UP NEXT

Iona improved to 2-2 on the season and are back in action next weekend in a four-game set with Cansius on March 27-28 in its home opener at City Park.   With the 2020 campaign short circuited by the COVID-19 pandemic last March, the Gaels look to play their first home game since May 13, 2019.

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