NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona University baseball team extended its winning streak to five straight with a 3-0 shutout victory over Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon. The Maroon & Gold secured another MAAC series win with the victory at City Park.
Junior
Andrelys Payamps pitched eight shutout innings for the Gaels, surrendering just two hits while striking out a season-high nine batters.
Eric Gialloreto pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Graduate student
Jim Pasquale recorded an RBI and junior
Carson Cahoy recorded a game-high three hits.
GAME SUMMARY
Following the high scoring affair in yesterday's opener it was a pitcher's duel this afternoon as both offenses were held to just two hits through the first four innings of play.
Iona got momentum going in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore
Nickolas Mora reached on a fielder's choice and Cahoy followed with a double to left field to put runners in scoring position. Saint Peter's got a ground out back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning before issuing an intentional walk to sophomore
Josiah Ragsdale to load the bases. A pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop, sending Mora down the line. He made a jump over the catch and slid under the tag to score the first run of the game for Iona.
Payamps was cruising on the bump for the Maroon & Gold as he struck out the side in the seventh.
The Gaels carried things over into the bottom of the frame, earning back-to-back walks by Cahoy and junior
Jayson Gonzalez started things off. A strikeout followed before freshman
Carter Groen lifted a deep fly to right center to advance both runners. Pasquale then lined an RBI single to left field to score Cahoy and a misplay fielding the ball allowed Gonzalez to score from second to push the lead to 3-0.
After a leadoff walk and groundout in the top of the eighth, Payamps capped his afternoon with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
Saint Peter's looked for another late rally attempt in the ninth with a leadoff double down the left field line. A groundout advanced the runner to third base. Gialloreto settled in from there getting a fly out to right for the second out and then ending the game with a strikeout looking.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Payamps logged a season-high eight innings, surrendering just two hits to go with four walks while striking out a season-high nine batters for his fourth win of the year.
- Gialloreto made his 23rd appearance of the season, pitching a scoreless ninth to secure the save.
- Pasquale recorded his sixth straight game with a run batted in.
- Senior James Kemp registered his eighth multi-hit game with a pair of base knocks.
- Cahoy posted a season-high three hits in his fourth multi-hit game on the year.
UP NEXT
The Gaels look for the series sweep over the Peacocks in the series finale tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for noon at City Park.
