LEWISTON, NY — The Iona University baseball team fell to Niagara in a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games on Sunday. The Purple Eagles took the opener, 12-3 at, the Gaels battled in game two but were edged out late, 7-6 in the finale at Bobo Field.
GAME ONE: NIAGARA 12, IONA 3
Niagara struck early with five runs on four hits in the first inning of play. The Purple Eagles extended the lead with a run in both the second and third inning.
Iona's offense was held to just three hits in the first seven innings of play and stranded seven runners on the basepath.
The Purple Eagles capped the team's scoring with five more runs on five hits in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Junior
Jayson Gonzalez hit a two-out infield fly that was lost in the sun that allowed graduate student
Garret Gray and freshman
Jc Frias to score and get Iona on the scoreboard. Sophomore
Josiah Ragsdale scored the third run of the inning, advancing home on a wild pitch to bring the final to 12-3.
GAME TWO: NIAGARA 7, IONA 6
Game two got going in the third inning as Frias reached on a two-out hit by pitch for the Gaels. Ragsdale then lined a double down the left field line to put two in scoring position. Gonzalez loaded the bases with a hit by pitch. Senior
James Kemp was the third hit batter of the inning and drove in the first run of the inning. Freshman
Carter Groen tacked on more runs for Iona with a two-run double down the left field line to take a 3-0 advantage.
Niagara got its first run in the fourth inning with a two-out double to left center. The home team cut the deficit to one in the fifth inning, scoring on a throwing error by the Gaels on a sacrifice squeeze. The Purple Eagles utilized a two-run home run to right center to take a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Iona punched back in the seventh inning as Groen started the rally with a two-out single. Graduate student
Jim Pasquale followed with a ground rule double to right center. Sophomore
Anthony Zollo scored both on a double down the left field line to give the Gaels back the lead, 5-4.
Niagara knotted the game back up in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out solo home run.
Graduate student
Nick Forney led off the eighth inning with a double to left center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Frias. A fielding error in right field allowed him to score and give the Gaels a 6-5 lead.
The Purple Eagles tied the game with a one-out single up the middle in the bottom half of the inning. The eventual winning run would come with two outs in the inning with an RBI single for the 7-6 lead.
Iona was retired in order by Niagara in the ninth to give the Purple Eagles the series sweep.
Groen and Ragsdale led the Gaels with two hits each in the second game of the twin bill. Freshman
Brendan Callanan pitched five innings in the start for Iona, surrendering just one earned run while striking out four in the no-decision.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will travel out to Long Island on Tuesday, March 26 for a 3 p.m. contest at Stony Brook.
