NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University softball team split a doubleheader with Saint Peter's on Monday afternoon at Donald E. Walsh Field.
Kara Zazzaro tossed a complete game to earn the victory in game one, a 4-3 victory for the Maroon & Gold.
GAME ONE: IONA 4, SAINT PETER'S 3
Zazzaro was on point to begin the contest, striking out five of the first nine batters she faced and racking up seven total punchouts through three scoreless innings. After a solid start for the Peacocks' Christina Colon, things unraveled in the third inning.
Kayla Haywood led things off with an opposite-field double, moving up to third after a one-out single by Hannah Werth. Three consecutive singles by Jessica Chilcott, Jamie Sheeran and Kaylin Flukey plated a run each and forced Saint Peter's to go to the bullpen in the third inning. Trailing by three runs, Sophie Wilson entered for the Peacocks and induced a pair of ground outs to finish the inning and limit the damage.
Saint Peter's trimmed the deficit to one run on a two-run homer off the bat of Tai Turner in the top of the fourth. Iona added an insurance marker in the home half on a clutch two-out single by Werth that scored Alivia Lichtner, who stole second earlier in the at bat. Sydney Palmer entered in relief to close the inning and would finish the game for Saint Peter's. The Peacocks would add one more run, scoring on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, but Zazzaro closed the door and finished things in game one.
GAME TWO: SAINT PETER'S 6, IONA 3
Saint Peter's scored the first four runs of the contest, chasing Iona's Samantha Rieb after just two innings of work. The Peacocks opened the scoring in the first on a two-out double. Saint Peter's added three more in the second, all of which crossed the plate with two outs in the frame. Rieb finished the frame, stranding a pair of runners, but would not come back out for the third inning.
Iona put two runs across in the bottom of the second on a throwing error from the outfield that made its way into the home dugout, plating two runs. Alyssa DeJianne took to the circle for the third inning, tossing a clean inning before running into some trouble in the fourth. An unearned run came around to score after a throw to a vacated second base on a stolen base attempt allowed the Saint Peter's runner from third to score. DeJianne left a pair of runners on base to end the inning, keeping Iona within striking distance.
The Peacocks' Sydney Senerchia was on point however, shutting down Iona offensively for the majority of the remainder of the contest. Saint Peter's added an insurance marker for her in the seventh, and despite allowing a run to cross in the home half and seeing the tying run come to bat, Senerchia finished what she started and salvaged the split for the visitors.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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