NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College softball team swept Manhattan in its home-opening doubleheader of 2022. The Gaels offense hit five home runs across the two games while
Samantha Rieb and
Kara Zazzaro spun a pair of gems in both contests.
GAME ONE: IONA 9, MANHATTAN 2
Rieb drew the game one start for the second consecutive day after tossing nine-plus innings in an extra-innings loss at Siena. The first batter she faced reached via en error and was sacrificed to second by the two-hole hitter. Kaitlyn Flood singled to put runners on the corner with one out and promptly stole second uncontested to put two runners in scoring position. Marika Deemer singled home both runners, but Rieb managed to work out of the inning with just the two runs coming across.
Iona got one of the runs back in the home half. Allie Taylor worked a ten-pitch walk, fouling off four straight two-strike pitches to start the Gaels' rally. Jamie Sheeran followed with a single, but was forced out at second on Emma Capuano's grounder. Capuano stole second and Taylor scored after Manhattan's catcher fired the ball towards a vacated third base, making it a 2-1 game with one out. Capuano, who then advanced to third on a ball that got by the catcher, was forced out in between home and third on a grounder off the bat of Jessica Chilcott. Iona settled for just the one run in the first.
The Maroon & Gold took the lead in the bottom of the second after Kaylin Flukey homered over the fence in center, Iona's first long ball at Donald E. Walsh Field this season. The two-run shot scored Morgan Ritchey who was hit by a pitch in the at-bat prior, giving Iona a 3-2 lead. Iona manufactured another run in the third with its baserunning, taking a 4-2 lead into the fourth frame.
Rieb worked a 1-2-3 inning and turned it back over to the offense, who plated runs for the third straight inning. Flukey hit her second two-run homer of the day, scoring Ritchey who was on base for a second straight trip to open her afternoon. A one-out single by Taylor forced Manhattan's Cat Clifford to go to a reliever, who worked her way out of the fourth.
Staked to a four-run lead, Rieb stranded a pair of Jaspers on the base paths to get through a fourth consecutive clean inning. Flukey had a chance in the bottom half of the frame for her third homer in as many at-bats, but her fly ball was caught in center to leave a pair of runners in scoring position to end the fifth.
The Gaels added three more runs in the sixth, doing all of the damage after two quick outs to start the frame. Sheeran started the scoring with a solo shot, followed by four straight hits from Capuano, Chilcott, Kayla Haywood and Natalia Meray. Haywood represented the game-winning run, but Manhattan's Lauren Rende prevented the enactment of the mercy rule by leaping to snare a liner destined for left field off the bat of Ritchey.
Mercy or not, Rieb and the Gaels would not be denied a victory in the home opener. The Gaels closed the doors on the Jaspers with an unassisted double play turned by Ritchey, who flagged down a looping line drive and beat Manhattan's runner to the first-base bag.
GAME TWO: IONA 3, MANHATTAN 2
The Jaspers started game two by scoring in the opening frame, manufacturing a run via a sacrifice fly off of Zazzaro. After being retired in order in the home half of the first, the Gaels evened the score in the bottom of the second. Haywood hit the first homer of her collegiate career, Iona's fourth of the afternoon, with one out in the inning. The Maroon & Gold looked to add more after Flukey drew a walk and Ritchey singled, but settled for just the game-tying run.
Zazzaro allowed the first two runners to reach to begin the third, but stranded both by retiring Manhattan's one, two and three batters. Iona's offense struck again in the third, hitting its fifth long ball of the day. Chilcott plated Sheeran with a shot to left center, putting the Gaels in front 3-1 with two away in the inning. Haywood earned a base on balls after the homer, but was left on first to end the third.
Iona threatened for insurance in the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out courtesy of hits by Sheeran and Chilcott and a walk drawn by Capuano. Ava Metzger got a huge second out via a swing and miss by Haywood, then got Flukey to fly out to left to escape a jam.
Zazzaro set down the side in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, working all the way into the seventh before a lead-off homer by Deemer made it a one-run game. The homer ended what was 12 straight Jaspers retired by Zazzaro, ending the senior's afternoon in the process. Rieb entered in relief after the homer, needing three outs to complete the sweep. She did just that, inducing a pair of ground balls and a pop foul to notch her third save of the season. Iona held on to down Manhattan and sweep its home-opening doubleheader.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Rieb won her fifth game of the season after a complete-game effort in game one. She allowed two runs (one earned) in the first inning and shut out the Jaspers the rest of the way. She relieved Zazzaro in game two and earned her third save of the season, one shy of Iona's single-season record. Across the two games, Rieb earned a win and a save, working eight innings and allowing just one earned run.
- Zazzaro improved to 9-7, working six-plus innings in her second consecutive game-two starting nod. The senior from Southington allowed two runs on three hits and struck out eight in the victory.
- Flukey homered in her first two trips to the plate in game one, the first multi-hit game of her collegiate career.
- Chilcott and Sheeran both socked homers today, increasing their season mark to nine. Sheeran matched her career high and Chilcott is now one shy of reaching her career-best in home runs. The two Gaels are tied with each other atop the conference leaderboard in round trippers.
- Haywood hit her first homer of 2022 to open the scoring for the Maroon & Gold in game two.
- Iona hit three home runs in a game for the fourth time this season and have now hit multiple bombs in eight different contests this season, six of which have been wins. The Maroon & Gold lead the league with 31 long balls as a team this year.
UP NEXT
Iona visits St. John's for a midweek matinee on Wednesday, April 20. Head coach Alyssa Tiumalu visits her old stomping grounds for a 3:00 p.m. start on ESPN3 at Belson Stadium in Queens.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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