BUIES CREEK, NC - The Iona College softball team split its two games to open the Campbell Invitational on Friday, earning win number one of the season in the first game against Cleveland State.
Kara Zazzaro pitched a complete game, striking out 16 in Iona's 2-1 win in nine innings.
GAME ONE: IONA 2, CLEVELAND STATE 1
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, Cleveland State put a runner on with two outs in the frame, but Zazzaro struck the next batter out to end the first. The Gaels notched their first hit in the top of the third when Morgan Ritchey led off the frame with a double to the opposite field. She moved up 60 feet with two outs on a sacrifice bunt by Haley Weaver but was stranded after Brianna Bailey was retired.
The Vikings were shut down by Zazzaro until the fifth inning when they put runners on the corner with two outs. Zazzaro induced a ground ball to end the threat and strand a runner in scoring position. In the bottom of the seventh, Cleveland State singled to put the potential game-winning run on first base with one out. A ground ball and a strikeout sent the contest to extra innings.
Jamie Sheeran was Iona's runner on second to begin the extra frame; she stole third to put the go-ahead run 60 feet away with no one out. The Gaels could not bring the run around, giving the Vikings a chance to win it in the bottom half of the eighth. Just as Iona did, Cleveland State's runner on second stole third with nobody out. Zazzaro walked the leadoff batter, who promptly stole second to put the Gaels in a difficult spot. A three-pitch strikeout took some pressure off, but the big play was a force out at home for the second out on a grounder back to the mound. With the potential game-winning run again at third, Zazzaro got ahead in the count 0-2 and the Vikings popped the ball up on the infield to end the inning.
Bailey sacrificed Allie Taylor to third on a fly out to begin the ninth. Jessica Chilcott came through in the clutch, doubling to the opposite field to bring home the game's first run. Iona added insurance on a fielding error by the Vikings with two away. It proved to be pivotal after the Vikings scored in the bottom of the ninth. With the tying run on second, Zazzaro induced a fly ball to left that ended the game and gave Iona the 2-1 victory.
GAME TWO: CAMPBELL 9, IONA 1
The second game of the day needed just five innings to be decided. Iona starter Samantha Rieb ran into trouble against Campbell's high-powered offense in the first inning. Two first-inning walks amounted to nothing for the Maroon & Gold, while the Camels took advantage of their opportunities by scoring four runs before the second out. Rieb escaped a jam with a strikeout and a line out.
Weaver led off the top of the third with a single, but was stranded at second to end the frame. A lead-off double and a homer padded Campbell's lead in the third. The Camels added another run before the inning was over, leading 7-0 after three full innings.
After two quick outs to begin the fourth, Hannah Collins drew a walk and Emma Capuano followed with a single. Kayla Haywood was retired to end Iona's threat. Maddy Lowry, working in relief of Rieb, surrendered a run in the bottom of the fourth. The Gaels got on the board in the top of the fifth, beginning things with a leadoff walk and a single by Bailey. A fielder's choice moved the runners to second and third with one out and Natalia Meray singled through the middle to score Bailey. Chilcott was cut down trying to go first to third for the second out and Sheeran flew out to end Iona's half of the frame.
A one-out double, followed by a run-scoring single enforced the eight-run mercy rule after five. The Camels topped the Gaels 9-1 in the nightcap in five innings on their home turf.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona's extra-innings win over Cleveland State was the first of the season and the first of head coach Alyssa Tiumalu's career.
- Zazzaro's 16 strikeouts in game one were one shy of matching her career high. The senior is up to 32 strikeouts across 22 innings pitched this season, going the distance in all three starts and working to a 1.91 earned run average.
- Chilcott and Meray were responsible for the Gaels' two RBIs on the day. Chilcott and Meray lead the team through six games with two runs batted in each.
UP NEXT
Iona plays two more games tomorrow, facing off with Campbell again at 3:00 p.m., followed by a matchup with Akron immediately after. Iona's game against Campbell will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats for both games.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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