FARMVILLE, Va.— The Iona University baseball team fell to Longwood, 9-5 on Saturday afternoon at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
Sophomore
Anthony Zollo posted his second straight three-hit game out of the leadoff spot for the Gaels. Sophomore
Josiah Ragsdale posted his second multi-hit game of the season and drove in a season-high four runs. Graduate student
Jim Pasquale picked up his first multi-hit game of the season.
GAME SUMMARY
Longwood jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first plating three runs on three hits and an Iona error.
Iona was only able to muster two hits in the next three innings. The Lancers tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out single to right to jump ahead 4-0.
Freshman JC Frias began the fifth inning by reaching base on an error. A hit by pitch to freshman
Carter Groen gave Iona two runners on with no outs. Longwood picked up back-to-back strikeouts before Zollo singled to right field to load the bases. Ragsdale cleared the bases with a double to cut the deficit to one. Junior
Jayson Gonzalez then went first pitch swinging for a single to center field to knot things up at 4-4. Iona kept the inning alive on a single from Pasquale to center field for runners at the corners. Longwood escaped trouble on a pick-off play to first to end the inning.
Momentum quickly shifted back to the Lancers with back-to-back solo home runs to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning to reclaim the lead, 6-4. Longwood recorded two more runs in the inning on a sacrifice fly to right and a two-out solo home run to jump out in front, 8-4.
The home team added to its final run of the game in the sixth inning on sacrifice fly to right field.
Iona threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runners on and one-out. Ragsdale stepped up to the plate and roped a double to the gap in left center to drive in one run. With runners on second and third, Longwood ended the inning by inducing a flyout to second and a strikeout swinging to halt the Maroon & Gold offense.
The Gaels were held to just one hit and two base runners in the final two innings, giving Longwood the 9-5 victory.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- The top of the order produced eight of the team's 10 hits on Saturday.
- Zollo recorded his second straight three-hit game and is 6-for-9 in the series.
- Ragsdale posted his second multi-hit game in the last three contests. His four runs batted in was a new single-game high for the season. He now has nine runs batted in through five games.
- Pasquale had his first multi-hit game of the season and the 14th of his Iona career.
- Freshman Bruce Wadiak and senior Alex Hunt produced a scoreless inning of relief on the mound for the Gaels.
UP NEXT
The Gaels conclude the weekend with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday in the series finale.
