NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College Baseball team came up short in its MAAC opener to Rider, losing by a final score of 3-1. After an RBI double from senior
Will Jennings, the Gaels brought the tying runner up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth but the Broncs managed to prevail to take the series opener at City Park on Friday afternoon.
GAME SUMMARY
Making his fifth start of the year, Iona senior
Paul Sullivan worked quickly retiring the first eight batters he faced, including three early strikeouts. After surrendering a two-out single, Sullivan got Jake Barbiere to ground out to keep the game scoreless through three innings.
With only one-out in the fourth inning, the Broncs were threatening with two runners on after two singles from Jack Winsett and Socrates Bardatsos. Sullivan took matters into his own hands, escaping the jam with two consecutive strikeouts to get him out of the inning and up to five strikeouts.
Rider managed to get on the board off an unearned run in the fifth, taking advantage of two Iona errors to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning with two-outs senior
Brad Polinsky went the other way, doubling down the left field line and the following batter sophomore
Jim Kemp ripped a single to center field but on a bang-bang play, Polinsky was thrown out at the plate to keep Rider in front through four innings.
The Broncs added some critical insurance runs in the sixth that started after a leadoff double from John Volpe. Two batters later, Volpe would come around to score the game's second run on a passed ball and the Broncs tacked on one more run on an RBI single to take a 3-0 advantage. Sullivan picked up a strikeout and Polinsky threw out his fifth runner of the season behind the plate to end the inning. Sullivan finished his afternoon completing six of innings giving up only one earned run while striking out eight batters.
Junior
Thomas O'Sullivan came in relief for Iona and was lights out, retiring the side in both the seventh and eighth inning. Sullivan continued his dominance, striking out two more batters in the top of the ninth to keep the game at 3-0. Sullivan completed his appearance out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings, only allowing one batter to reach base while striking out six batters.
Down to their final three outs, junior
Nick Forney began the Gaels ninth inning rally with a leadoff single, ending Rider's starting pitcher Joe Papeo's afternoon. Forney advanced to third after Senior
Jake Field doubled to deep right field but Field was picked off in between second and third base for the first out of the inning. Down to their final out, Jennings kept the Gaels alive with a clutch RBI double, scoring Forney and bringing up the tying run to the plate.
Unfortunately a groundout ended the Gaels late rally attempt as Rider prevailed, taking game one of the series by a final score of 3-1 on Friday afternoon at City Park.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Both Sullivan and O'Sullivan combined to strike out 14, while walking zero batters.
- Jennings' RBI double was his fifth RBI of the season, making it four out of the last six games the senior has driven in a run.
- Jennings also extended his hitting streak to a current team best seven games now.
- Forney, Field, and Kemp each had two hits and senior Nick Carnevale had a single to round out Iona's nine hits.
UP NEXT
The series will continue tomorrow morning with first pitch now scheduled for 9:30 AM due to potential afternoon showers.
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