BRONX, NY - The Iona College softball team defeated Fordham in extra innings, 5-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Bahoshy Field.
Kara Zazzaro tossed her ninth complete game of the season and
Brianna Bailey drove him the winning run in the top of the eighth to help Iona earn its first win over Fordham since 2012.
GAME SUMMARY
Iona started the afternoon with three straight baserunners, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Allie Taylor worked a walk and moved up to third on a Jamie Sheeran double. Natalia Meray cashed in with a bloop single to right that plated both runners. Sheeran came around to score from second after the ball was booted by the right fielder. Fordham's Emilee Watkins retired the next three batters to stop the bleeding.
The Rams loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame with one out against Zazzaro. Destiny Nardello flagged down a fly ball in foul territory down the right field line for the second out, trading an out for a run. Zazzaro registered a backwards K to strand a pair of runners in scoring position and hold onto the lead.
After a quiet second inning from both squads, the scoring resumed in the third. Sheeran notched her second hit in as many at-bats, singling to right and coming around to score on Jessica Chilcott's two-run blast to left. Chilcott sent a hanging breaking ball over the fence in left to push Iona's lead to 4-1.
Fordham responded in the home half of the inning, trimming the deficit to two runs. The offense came courtesy of a lead-off solo shot to center off the bat of Rachel Hubertus. Two innings later, Fordham would tie it on another round-tripper. Julia Martine sent an 0-2 offering from Zazzaro over the wall in left center to tie the game at four.
Zazzaro clutched up in the bottom of the seventh with the game still even at four, stranding runners at second and third to send the game to extra frames. A pair of leadoff singles and a sacrifice bunt put the winning run 60 feet away with just one out, but two strikeouts got Zazzaro out of the jam.
With two outs in the top of the eighth, Bailey laced a ball into the right-center gap. Kayla Haywood, who reached safely via a single with one out, raced around the bases and scored the go-ahead run. Fordham's center fielder attempted to cut the ball off before it reached the fence in the gap, but misplayed the ball and was credited with an error. The error erased Bailey's run batted in, but it did not erase Haywood's run that made it a 5-4 game in favor of the Maroon & Gold.
Zazzaro allowed a one-out single in the home-half of the eighth and despite a stolen base putting the tying run in scoring position, the senior hurler got a strikeout and a fly ball to center to secure the victory for Iona.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Zazzaro threw her ninth complete game of the season, improving to 6-6 in the circle. She scattered 11 hits, allowing four earned runs and striking out 12. For the sixth time in 11 starts Zazzaro punched out 10+ batters.
- Chilcott's two-run blast was her third homer of the season, one behind Sheeran's team-leading four bombs. She has now reached base in seven straight games, the longest such streak for any Gael this season. The homer also marked the 100th career hit for Chilcott.
- Sheeran registered her fifth multi-hit game, the most of any Gael this season. She also scored a pair of runs this afternoon.
- Bailey drove home the game-winning run with a double to right center. She was not awarded the run batted in due to her gapper being ruled an error when the center fielder tried to cut the ball off.
- Meray's run batted in was her fifth of the season. An error in right field plated another run on her first-inning single, though she was not credited with an RBI.
- Kaylin Flukey hit safely for the second straight game and extended her on-base streak to four games. Sheeran, Taylor and Bailey also extended their on-base streaks to four straight games today.
- The Gaels improved to 2-3 in extra innings, 7-3 when scoring first and 4-0 when scoring at least five runs this season.
- Iona's victory over Fordham is the program's first since April 24, 2012. The Rams had won six straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings prior to the Gaels' win today. The last contest between the two sides was played back in 2018, when current Fordham head coach Melissa Inouye held the same position with the Maroon & Gold.
UP NEXT
Iona opens up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this weekend with doubleheaders at Monmouth and Rider. The Gaels face the Hawks on Saturday, April 2 and the Broncs on Sunday, April 3.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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