BUFFALO, NY - The Iona College softball team knocked off No. 2 Fairfield, 3-0, behind a complete-game, one-hit shutout by
Kara Zazzaro.
Kayla Haywood drove in two runs with a single in the first and later scored on
Brianna Bailey's opposite-field single in the sixth to account for the Gaels' offense.
GAME SUMMARY
The Gaels offense got started early on against Fairfield starter Katie Kudlacik, courtesy of some clutch two-out hitting by Haywood. The game started with a five-pitch walk to Jessica Chilcott, who advanced to second safely after a successful sacrifice bunt by Allie Taylor. Emma Capuano hit the first pitch she saw right back where it came from, placing runners on the corners with one away. After Kudlacik registered the second out via the strikeout, Haywood jumped on the first pitch she saw and sent it up the middle to plate Chilcott from third and Capuano, who swiped a bag earlier, from second. Haywood stole second during Kaylin Flukey's at-bat, but was left in scoring position to end Iona's two-run opening frame.
A single and a wild pitch put a runner on second to start the home half of the first. Zazzaro, starting for the second straight day, got a foul pop and then two strikeouts to keep Fairfield off the board in the first inning. A one-out walk in the bottom of the second represented the Stags' second base runner in as many innings. It turned out to be their last base runner until the seventh inning.
Zazzaro worked around that one-out walk in the second, then proceeded to retire the next 15 Fairfield hitters in order. Her dominance spanned four full innings, as well as parts of two others. By the time Fairfield broke through and placed another runner on the base paths, the Gaels had added an insurance run.
After two quick outs to begin the top of the sixth inning, Haywood slashed a double to the fence in right center. Kaylin Flukey followed, working a walk and was promptly pinch run for by Morgan Ritchey. Freshman Brianna Bailey looped a two-out single just inside the right-field line, plating Haywood with Iona's third run.
Now saddled with a three-run lead, Zazzaro returned to the circle for the bottom of the sixth inning. She needed just seven pitches to navigate through a 1-2-3 inning against the Stags, retiring her 12th, 13th and 14th straight victims. After a scoreless seventh inning for the Maroon & Gold, it turned back over to Zazzaro to finish what she had started. A grounder to the left side became the first out and the 15th consecutive Fairfield batter that was set down. That streak ended on a 3-2 pitch to Megan Forbes that missed, putting a Stag on base for the first time since way back in the second inning. Fairfield never sent the tying run to the plate however, as Zazzaro got back-to-back pop ups that Natalia Meray handled at second to notch Iona's second straight upset victory at the 2022 MAAC Softball Championship.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Zazzaro tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout to earn her 12th victory of the season. The lone hit against Zazzaro came against the first batter she faced. She allowed just three base runners and struck out six, needing just 98 pitches to earn the win.
- All three Iona runs came with two outs. Haywood's two-RBI single started the scoring in the first inning and Bri Bailey's run-scoring single in the sixth provided Zazzaro and the Gaels with a larger buffer in the score column.
- Taylor, Capuano, and Meray had the other three hits for the Gaels. Chilcott, Capuano and Haywood scored Iona's three runs. Chilcott, Flukey and Brianna Buck each drew a walk.
- The Gaels are the first six seed to win its first two games at the MAAC Championship since Fairfield did so in 2017. The Stags went on to win the tournament that season.
- Iona avenged a sweep at the hands of Fairfield earlier this season in New Rochelle, where the Stags scored a combined 12 runs in the doubleheader.
- The Maroon & Gold topped the Stags in the MAAC postseason for the first time since the 2014 season, the year that the Gaels won their most recent, and sixth overall, MAAC Championship.
UP NEXT
Iona continues on in the winner's bracket and will face No. 1 Canisius tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. with a trip to the MAAC Championship Game on the line. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats as well.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (E-Mail Updates)
Iona Softball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (E-Mail Updates)
