New Rochelle, NY - The Iona College baseball program came up short in both games of their home opening doubleheader against Albany on Saturday afternoon at City Park. Albany took game number one by final score of, 12-1 and managed to take the second game of the afternoon, 8-0.
GAME ONE RECAP: ALBANY 12, IONA 1
Albany began the afternoon scoring four runs in the first inning, with Jason Bottari and Will Binder driving in the runners with a pair of RBI singles. Starting pitcher sophomore
Blake Helmstetter, recorded an inning ending strikeout to limit the damage for the Gaels.
Shaking off a leadoff triple in top of the second, Helmstetter with the help of his defense managed to escape trouble, recording a groundout and then an inning ending double play.
With the score still 4-0 entering the bottom of the third, Iona picked up their first hit of the game with senior
Nick Carnevale reaching on a single with one out. Carnevale stole second base and senior
Jake Field drove him in with a two-out RBI single to right field.
In the top half of the fourth inning, Albany added to their lead scoring three runs off four hits extending the lead to 7-1 through four innings of play. Relief pitcher junior
Thomas O'Sullivan, making his second appearance of the season, recovered after the fourth with a quick three up three down inning including a strikeout to end the fifth.
Senior
Brad Polinsky ledoff the bottom half of the fifth, with a double to right center and with two outs in the inning senior
Luca Lotito reached on a single to put runners on the corners. However, Albany's starting pitcher Ray Weber who went seven innings managed to escape the jam with a groundout.
The Danes added to the lead, driving in three more runs all on RBI doubles to make it 10-1 through six innings of play at City Park. Albany would drive in two more runs in the eighth, going on to take game one of the doubleheader by a final score of 12-1.
The Gaels two other hits in the game came from junior
Nick Forney and sophomore
Phoenix Bowman. In relief, freshman
Joey Kasper went three innings without an earned run recording two strikes outs for Iona.
GAME TWO RECAP: ALBANY 8, IONA 0
Similar to game one, Albany struck first scoring two runs off an RBI HBP followed by a RBI single to go up 2-0. With the bases loaded and only one gone, Starting pitcher graduate student
Vicente Mendoza, worked himself out of more trouble with getting two consecutive outs on a line out to third and a fly-out to end the inning. Mendoza in his season debut on the mound, finished with 2 strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work.
Albany used runs in the second and third inning off an RBI double and single to add to their lead, making it 4-0 through three innings of play in game two of the afternoon.
After Albany added another run in the top of the fourth freshman
Matt Zguro came out of the bullpen for the Gaels and picked up two strikeouts to get Iona out of the inning. Zguro faced the minimum in the top half of the fifth, making it his second consecutive scoreless outing for the Gaels.
Iona had it's best chance at the plate in the fifth inning after freshman
Nick Dicarlo drew a one out walk, Carnevale followed by ripping a double to right center putting runners on the corners. Unfortunately, Albany's starting pitcher Anthony Germinerio who went the complete seven innings, escaped the jam with a strikeout and groundout.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Albany scored three runs in their final turn at the plate with Will Feil clearing the bases on a three-run RBI double as Albany would go on to take game two of the doubleheader by a final score of 8-0.
Iona's two other hit's came from Field who is now up to a team leading eight on the year and Lotito who is currently on a team best three game hitting streak.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will conclude their home opening series with Albany at 12:00 PM tomorrow afternoon at City Park.
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