NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College softball suffered a pair of losses in its doubleheader with Canisius on Sunday afternoon at Donald E. Walsh Field. Iona's offense mustered just two runs across the entire doubleheader. Prior to a five-run seventh inning in the second game, Iona's pitchers allowed just five runs.
GAME ONE: CANISIUS 3, IONA 0
Kara Zazzaro started game one against the Griffs in New Rochelle, running into some early trouble. The Griffs struck for two runs against the conference's leader in wins entering play on Sunday. Canisius began the game by loading the bases with its first three batters on a walk, a bunt single and a second free pass. Gianna Fazzolari singled through the box to plate a pair of runners and grant the visitors an advantage just four batters in. After issuing her third base on balls of the opening frame, loading the bases for the second time, Zazzaro struck out the next three batters to limit Canisius to the two runs.
Megan Giese, the ace of the Canisius staff, worked around a two-out double off the bat of Emma Capuano to toss a clean first frame after being staked to an early lead. Zazzaro stayed settled in after the rocky start, striking out the side in the second inning. It was the second straight day that the Southington, Connecticut native registered six punchouts in the first two innings of her start.
Giese faced the minimum in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a double play turned by her defense behind her after a hit batter. After another clean inning for the Canisius starter in the third, she turned it over to her offense, who provided some insurance. With two away in the inning and a runner on second base, Erin Hufford tripled to increase the Griffs' lead to three runs.
Jessica Chilcott raced in and dove to try and make the play, but the ball landed and rolled to the fence, nearly allowing Hufford to race around the bases for an inside the park home run. That spelled the end of the day for Zazzaro, who gave way to
Maddy Lowry with two outs in the fourth. Lowry struck out Christie McGee-Ross to strand Hufford on third and end the inning.
A two-out single by Chilcott amounted to nothing for the Maroon & Gold in the fourth. Iona was unfortunate to hit into another double play in the fifth, erasing a lead-off walk drawn by Destiny Nardello. Canisius turned its third double play of the opener in the sixth, ending what was becoming a rally for Iona. Brianna Bailey led off with a double off the wall in left center, followed by a dropped pop up at second base that brought Capuano to the plate representing the tying run. A sharply hit ball to third was corralled by Destiny Falquez, who stepped on third and fired across the diamond to send the game to the seventh inning and flip the momentum back to Canisius.
Lowry, who entered in the fourth inning and retired the only batter she faced to escape a jam, continued to pitch well in relief for the Gaels. She retired 10 of the 11 batters she faced, issuing just one walk, positioning her offense to stage a comeback. It never came to fruition offensively for the Gaels however, who despite a seventh-inning double by Chilcott, could not push across a run and were shutout by Giese in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader.
GAME TWO: CANISIUS 7, IONA 2
Canisius started the scoring in game two, just as they did in the game prior against Zazzaro. Iona's starter Samantha Rieb was done in by an errant throw that allowed Hufford to advance all the way to third on the fifth pitch of the game. After striking out McGee-Ross, Rieb induced a ground ball that turned into the second out of the inning, but scored Hufford. Back-to-back two-out singles were wasted after Rieb got Sophia Recrosio to bounce out to second and end the opening inning.
Allie Taylor led off the home half of the first with a single through the middle, moving up to second after Capuano was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up 60 feet on a Chilcott single with one away. Things got interesting from this point on. With one out in the frame, Iona mistakenly sent Kayla Haywood to the plate in Nardello's spot in the order. Haywood struck out swinging for the second out, bringing Nardello to the plate, who struck out looking. However, during the at-bat, two runs came around to score on wild pitches that gave the Gaels a 2-1 lead. An appeal with the umpires by Canisius was deemed to be too late, legitimizing the at-bats and seemingly allowed things to continue as regularly scheduled.
So, after a long delay due to explanations and arguments on the field, play eventually picked back up in the second inning. Rieb worked her way around a one-out walk, tossing a clean inning after seeing her side go in front the half inning prior. The consequence of Iona's batting-out-of-order ordeal was that Morgan Ritchey's turn in the order was skipped to start the bottom of the second. It did not phase the Griffs' Shealyn Ollison, who retired the side in the order and sent the game to the third inning.
Iona chased Ollison in the third inning after a lead-off single by Capuano and a walk to Jamie Sheeran. Alexis Churchill entered and retired three straight, two via the strikeout, to strand her inherited runners and maintain a one-run deficit on the scoreboard for her squad.
Canisius' offense got Ollison off the hook with a run in the fourth. With two outs in the inning, a pop up on the infield was dropped, then with the runner caught between first and second, Iona failed to apply a tag and allowed the runner to reach second base. The Griffs made the Gaels pay for their transgressions in the field when Saige Alfaro singled to the opposite field to plate the tying run.
Churchill continued to make quick work of the Maroon & Gold, retiring the side in order in the fourth and the first two batters in the fifth. A two-out double for Capuano was the first hit against the Canisius reliever, but Churchill stranded her in scoring position with a three-pitch strikeout.
The game remained tied entering the seventh inning, where the Griffs opened it up. Five runs came across to score on six hits and two walks, putting Canisius in front 7-2. Three of the Griffs' five runs came with two outs in the inning, including one on a bases-loaded walk that turned into an inning-ending rundown between first and second base… for the moment, at least. Hufford took what her and her team assumed was the fourth ball of the at-bat, but Iona and the home plate umpire viewed it as the third ball. With Hufford making her way to first and the rest of the runners moving up a base, Iona picked off the runner between first and second and headed back to the dugout for its last licks. After another lengthy discussion between the men in blue, it was ruled that it truly was the fourth ball of the at-bat and Hufford and all of her teammates were safely at their respective bases. The Gaels, with bats in hands and helmets on heads, now returned to the field. Lowry, who relieved Rieb, ended an inning unlike any other by getting a ground ball to second.
After all was finally said and done and the dust settled, Canisius emerged victorious in game two, completing the sweep of the doubleheader. Iona fell to 19-19 overall on the season and fell out of a three-way tie for first place in the league standings.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Lowry pitched in relief in both contests, allowing just one hit and walking two batters in her 3.2 innings of combined work. She turned in a third consecutive scoreless outing and the sixth overall of her freshman campaign, lowering her season ERA to 2.66 across 15 appearances.
- Chilcott tallied a pair of hits in game one, her 10th multi-hit contest of 2022. Her and Capuano were the only two Gaels to hit safely in both games today.
- Rieb tossed 6.2 innings in the game two start and was saddled with her sixth loss of the season. She allowed seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits and one walk, striking out four.
- Zazzaro lasted just 3.2 innings in game one, her second shortest start of the season. She was dealt her eighth loss of the season, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks. Eight of the 11 outs the senior recorded were strikeouts.
- Both of Iona's runs in the bottom of the first inning of game two came via wild pitches. The Gaels' offense did not register a run batted in during the two contests today.
UP NEXT
Iona's mid-week, non-conference doubleheader with Army was canceled. The Maroon & Gold return to action on Saturday, April 30 against Fairfield. The Gaels then host Quinnipiac on Sunday, May 1. Both teams visit New Rochelle for a doubleheader.
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