BRONX, NY – The Iona College baseball team dropped a pair of games to the Manhattan Jaspers at Van Cortlandt Park on Wednesday afternoon. One-time MAAC Rookie of the Week award winner
Tony Santa Maria had a pair of hits including a home run.
GAME ONE RECAP: Manhattan 8, Iona 1 (7 Innings)
The Maroon & Gold's lone run of game one came from its first batter of the day. Santa Maria began the action Wednesday with a leadoff homerun, the first of his collegiate career. Unfortunately for Iona, Santa Maria's hit was just one of four in Saturday's opener.
Manhattan tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Jake Knop singled through the left side to begin the frame. Will Trochiano doubled to left field to make it second and third with nobody out. Jonathan Barditch tied it up a 1-1 with an RBI groundout to the shortstop. After Knop scored, the Gaels escaped the jam and stranded the leading run on third base.
Iona's next best chance to score in terms of a rally came in the top of the fourth inning.
Jake Liberatore singled through the right side and stole second and third. He was 90 feet away from giving the Maroon & Gold the lead, but untimely strikeouts and a pop out left him stranded at third.
In the top of the fifth inning,
Tyler Cannon doubled with one out and Santa Maria walked on a wild pitch to put two runners on first and third. With
Jake Field up to bat, Santa Maria attempted to steal second base but the throw to gun him down was cut off and Cannon was caught trying to steal home. The really didn't end right away with Field walking on a full count to put two runners on with two outs, but Liberatore grounded out to second to strand a pair.
Manhattan took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning. Knop led off the inning with a home run to left field. The Jaspers took a 3-1 lead when Sam Franco crossed the plate on an Iona fielding error.
The wheels fell off the bus in the bottom of the sixth inning. Following a leadoff strikeout, Manhattan got a walk from Trevor Santos and his pinch-runner Lewis Clarke crossed home on another extra-base hit from Knop. Four more runs would score for the Jaspers with the aid of a walk and two hit-by-batters. Barditch, Nick Cimillo, Matt Padre and Alfredo Delgado had run producing at-bats for Manhattan.
Iona went down in order in the top of the seventh and the book closed on an 8-1 decision.
Paul Sullivan started the game for Iona and went two innings allowing zero runs while striking out two.
Ryan Martin replaced Sullivan and went 2.1 innings surrendering three runs, two earned, on four hits. He suffered the losing decision, his third of the season.
James Gosweiler pitched one inning and allowed two runs.
Quentin Crudo pitched one third of an inning and allowed a trio of Jaspers to cross the plate.
Santa Maria, Liberatore,
Sam Punzi and Cannon each had one hit for the Gaels.
Manhattan used the platoon approach on the rubber. Among the five pitchers used, Kyle Lesler earned the win going one full inning and working around one hit, one wild pitch and two hits.
GAME TWO RECAP: Manhattan 13, Iona 1 (7 Innings)
Manhattan scored five runs in the first inning and added on runs in the three following innings as well. The Jaspers outhit the Gaels in the game 12 to 4 and also took advantage of five Maroon & Gold fielding miscues.
Clark Eder started on the mound for Iona and four teammates followed him as the game progressed.
Jason Antalek was the last Gael to pitch, and he tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball stranding four hits while striking out one.
Teddy Sabato started game two for the Jaspers and threw four innings surrendering one run on one hit. He struck out one batter and walked four. Connor O'Neill and Howard Sewall Jr. pitched in relief for Manhattan.
Nick Forney, Santa Maria,
Dylan Winebrenner and
Owen Christy had hits in the game for Iona.
UP NEXT
Iona's next scheduled games against Marist have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gaels next doubleheader is a week from today, April 14, against the Manhattan Jaspers at Van Cortlandt Park.
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