NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona University baseball team earned its sixth straight win and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with an 8-6 victory over Saint Peter's. A back-and-forth contest at City Park saw the Gaels get the go-ahead run on a lead off home run by graduate student
Jim Pasquale in the eighth inning.
Pasquale launched his second home run of the weekend and crossed the plate twice in the win over the Peacocks. Senior
James Kemp went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Junior
Jayson Gonzalez also tallied two runs batted in for the Maroon & Gold.
GAME SUMMARY
After yesterday's shutout, Saint Peter's offense jumped out the gate with two runs on two hits to take the early lead.
Iona got going in the third inning as sophomore
Nickolas Mora led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a hit by pitch. Junior
Carson Cahoy advanced Mora to third on a sacrifice bunt. Gonzalez then stepped to the plate and lined an RBI double to left center to cut the deficit to one.
The Gaels continued in the fourth inning as graduate student
Garret Gray started the frame with a single to left field. Sophomore
Anthony Zollo followed with a single to left and then Mora earned a four-pitch walk to load the bases. After a strikeout, Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to bring in Gray and knot the game 2-2. Saint Peter's escaped further trouble with a strikeout to end the inning.
Pasquale recorded a one-out walk to get the bottom of the fifth underway. Kemp followed by connecting on a 1-0 pitch and sent it deep over the left field wall to give the Gaels the lead. A walk to Gray and back-to-back singles by Zollo and Mora loaded the bases. Cahoy was hit on the elbow by a pitch to score the third run of the inning. Sophomore
Josiah Ragsdale earned a five-pitch RBI walk to take a 6-2 lead.
Saint Peter's punched back in the top of the sixth with an RBI single through the right side and a two-run two-out single to left field to cut the deficit to one at 6-5.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Peacocks loaded the bases with two-outs in the top of the eighth. A wild pitch allowed the tying run to score from third base. Sophomore
Andrew Gaines escaped the inning with a strikeout swinging.
In the bottom half of the frame, Pasquale went first pitch hunting and smacked a home run over the left field fence to retake the lead. Kemp followed that up with a double down the left field line. Gray advanced him to third on a sacrifice bunt down the third base line. Zollo connected on a slow dribbler to third, Kemp broke for home and slid under the tag to give Iona the 8-6 advantage.
Senior
Alex Hunt took the bump in the ninth and after issuing a lead-off walk he induced a pair of fly outs before a strikeout swinging ended the game to seal the series sweep for the Gaels.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona outhit Saint Peter's 10-6 for the game.
- The six-game winning streak is the longest winning streak for the Maroon & Gold since an eight-game winning stretch back in 2003. The Gaels had won five in a row in 2011, 2004 and 2003.
- Pasquale registered his seventh straight game with a run batted in. His eighth inning home run was his fourth of the season and the ninth of his career.
- Kemp posted his ninth multi-hit game for the Gaels and finished the series with back-to-back multi-hit performances. The fifth inning home run was the seventh of his career and third long ball this season.
- Gonzalez recorded his fifth multi-RBI contest with two runs driven in, pushing his team-leading total to 29 runs batted in for the year.
- Zollo added his 11th multi hit game and Mora tallied his fourth two-hit showing of the season.
- Sophomore Michael Lorenzetti fanned six batters in five and two thirds in the no-decision.
- Gaines earned his second win of the season pitching two innings of relief.
- Hunt logged his first career save with a scoreless ninth inning.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will travel out to Long Island on Wednesday, April 24 for a 3:00 p.m. contest at LIU.
