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Iona University Athletics

Morgan Ritchey
Stockton Photo Inc.
7
Winner Iona ION 20-10, 20-10 MAAC
0
Manhattan MAN 17-12, 17-12 MAAC
Winner
Iona ION
20-10, 20-10 MAAC
7
Final
0
Manhattan MAN
17-12, 17-12 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Iona ION 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 7 10 0
Manhattan MAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1

W: Zazzaro, Kara (18-2) L: Rising, Jessie (5-5)

4
Winner Iona ION 21-10, 21-10 MAAC
3
Manhattan MAN 17-13, 17-13 MAAC
Winner
Iona ION
21-10, 21-10 MAAC
4
Final
3
Manhattan MAN
17-13, 17-13 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Iona ION 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 10 1
Manhattan MAN 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 6 0

W: DeJianne, Alyssa (3-6) L: Williams, Nicole (8-2) S: Zazzaro, Kara (2)

Game Recap: Softball | | Jack Clark

Iona Softball Concludes Regular Season With Sweep of Manhattan

RIVERDALE, NY - The Iona College softball team finished off the regular season by sweeping Manhattan on the road. The two wins clinched a postseason berth and home-field advantage in the opening round for the Maroon & Gold.

GAME ONE: (IONA 7, MANHATTAN 0)

Jessica Chilcott led off game one by drawing a walk and stealing second base. Natalia Meray walked to fill the spot on the basepaths vacated by Chilcott to set up Jamie Sheeran with a chance to do some early damage. Jesse Rising struck out the rookie catcher for the first out of the inning, but Ciarra DiGuilio sprayed a single into left center to give the Maroon & Gold an early 1-0 advantage. A pair of groundouts left two runners on to end Iona's half of the first inning.

Kara Zazzaro pitched around a one-out single by Annie Gebhardt to toss a clean first inning in Riverdale. The Gaels added some more runs in the second inning, with the bottom of the half of the batting order doing its share of the work. Emma Capuano started things with a single back through the box, then moved up sixty feet on a Morgan Ritchey bunt single. Brielle Hill squared around to sacrifice the runners over, but reached safely on a throw that was mishandled at first base. Chilcott fouled out down the rightfield line, deep enough so that Capuano could score. Hill stole second without a throw to move a second runner into scoring position, then scampered home, along with Ritchey on a two-RBI single by Meray. Manhattan went to the pen, summoning Marika Deemer to finish off the frame.

Now protecting a four-run lead, Zazzaro set down the side in order in the second. Iona put runners on second and third with no one out in the third, but Deemer worked out of the jam without allowing a run. Zazzaro walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the third, eventually stranding a runner in scoring position to get through a third clean inning.

The Gaels would pile on in the sixth, scoring three more runs to grab a 7-0 lead late. Meray drove in her third and fourth runs of the afternoon, a season-best for the senior, on a double to left. Sheeran blasted a single that one-hopped the fence in center, plating Meray to give Iona a seven-run lead.

Zazzaro started the bottom of the sixth with a strikeout, her first and only of game one, then pitched around an Annie Moore single by getting a pair of pop ups. Rising singled and moved up to third on a Lauren Rende double with one out in the seventh, but Zazzaro's shutout was preserved after Meray snagged a liner at third and tagged out Rising before she could react back to the base, ending the first game.

GAME TWO: (IONA 4, MANHATTAN 3)

Things started about as well as they could in game two for Iona. Chilcott popped her team and conference leading 10th homer of the season off of Manhattan starter Nicole Williams to give Iona a 1-0 lead. Meray doubled and then advanced to third on a DiGuilio single with one out, but Williams punched out Alana Evans and Haywood to strand two runners in scoring position.

Alyssa DeJianne got the nod in game two for the Gaels, running into early trouble with runners on the corner and one away. Deemer singled home the game-tying run, but DeJianne got a pair of fly ball outs to end the inning and keep things tied after one.

A two-out single for Hill and a walk to Chilcott put two runners on for the Maroon & Gold in the second, but Williams retired Meray to leave two runners on base for a second consecutive inning. An infield single for Victoria Alonso to start things in the second frame amounted to nothing in the score column for Manhattan after DeJianne retired the next three hitters.

Manhattan would be the next to strike offensively, taking its first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth inning. A leadoff walk, a stolen base and a fly ball put the go-ahead run sixty feet away with just one out. Gabriella Mazzotta singled into center to give the Jaspers a 2-1 advantage. Sheeran helped out her battery mate by throwing out Mazzotta trying to steal second for the second out, clearing the bases for DeJianne, who put away the next batter on strikes to end the inning.

Iona tied things and then took the lead for good in the top of the sixth. Sheeran started things by working a walk, then moved up on a DiGuilio infield single to second base. Both runners moved into scoring position on a perfectly-placed sacrifice bunt by Evans, the first out of the inning. Haywood came through in the clutch, singling home Haley Weaver, who pinch ran for Sheeran, to tie the game at two apiece. Williams struck Capuano out swinging for the second out, but Ritchey hit an opposite-field double to plate both runners and put the Gaels ahead 4-2. 

Manhattan scratched across a run in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a single, a walk and a pair of wild pitches. The second wild pitch allowed the runner to score, thrown by Zazzaro, who entered in relief of DeJianne. The junior got a pop up on the infield to strand the potential game-tying run on third and head to the seventh.

Singles from Meray and DiGuilio in the seventh went to waste for Iona, though it did not matter in the long run. Zazzaro shut the door on the Jaspers comeback attempt, which saw them put a runner on second with just one out.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Iona currently sits in third place following the sweep today. The Gaels' 21 wins are the program's most since winning 27 in the 2017 season.
  • Iona's last MAAC Championship in 2014 came as the three seed, and the Gaels defeated No. 6 Manhattan in the quarterfinals, as well as the championship. The Jaspers will slot in as the sixth seed in the 2021 MAAC Championship following the two losses at the hands of the Maroon & Gold today. If things remain the same, Iona would be the No. 3 seed.
  • Zazzaro won her 18th game of the season in the opener and secured save number two of the year in game two. Her 18 wins this season now rank second-most in a single season in program history, matching marks set by Sarah Jackson (2010) and Alison Higgs (2005). Zazzaro's .900 winning percentage currently stands as the best mark in a single season in the Iona record books.
  • DeJianne was credited with the win in the second game, her third of the season. The freshman tossed 5.1 innings, scattering six hits and allowing three runs, two of which were earned. She walked three batters and struck out one.
  • Meray finished her day 4-8 at the dish with a walk and four runs batted in. Her four RBI all came in game one and matched a career high. It was the first multi-RBI game of the season for Meray and the fifth time this season a Gael has driven in four or more runs.
  • Ritchey registered a hit in both games, the latter of which was a two-run double that proved to be the game-deciding hit in game two's victory. The two-bagger was the first extra-base hit of the sophomore's career.
  • DiGuilio reached base safely in all four plate appearances in game one, going 2-2 with an RBI and a pair of walks. She went 3-4 in game two with a run scored.
  • Chilcott started things off in game two by taking Nicole Williams deep to left center, her team and conference leading 10th homer of the season. 
  • Sheeran reached base safely in both games, ending her regular season having reached base safely in 19 straight contests.
  • Hill recorded her third multi-hit game of the season in game two, going 2-3 at the plate.
  • Haywood hit safely in both contests, scoring once and plating a run as well.
  • Iona pitching faced 58 batters today, striking out just two Jaspers. Both DeJianne and Zazzaro recorded just one strikeout.

AROUND THE MAAC

  • Marist swept Saint Peter's, coming back late in game one to defeat the Peacocks.
  • Fairfield took two from Quinnipiac, moving ahead of Siena, who plays two with Marist tomorrow, in the MAAC standings.

UP NEXT

Iona locked in homefield advantage in the MAAC Quarterfinals in a best-of-three series at Donald E. Walsh Field. Games one and two will be played on Saturday, May 8 at a time still to be determined, and if necessary, the Gaels will play on Sunday, May 9.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (E-Mail Updates)
Iona Softball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (E-Mail Updates)



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