NEW BRITAIN, CT — The Iona University softball team earned its first series win of the season on Saturday afternoon against CCSU. The Blue Devils earned a 2-1 win in extra innings to take game one before the Gaels offense erupted for a 7-0 victory in the weekend finale at CCSU Softball Field.
The Maroon & Gold offense registered three home runs on Saturday afternoon. Junior
Brooke Acker recorded a solo shot in game one. Junior
Hailey Guerrero launched two home runs in game two. Senior
Kenadie Gonzalez also recorded a two-run blast in game two for the Gaels.
GAME ONE: CCSU 2, Iona 1 (8 inn.)
Pitching dominated the first three frames in the opener on Saturday. Senior
Samantha Rieb held the Blue Devils to two hits while striking out three. Alina Varga limited the Gaels to just one hit through the first three innings.
Acker broke open the scoring with a leadoff home run to begin the fourth inning. Iona looked to tack on more runs in the frame after back-to-back two out hit by pitches to Gonzalez and junior
Alivia Lichtner but CCSU escaped the inning with a fly out to left field.
Rieb scattered three hits to the Blue Devils over the next three innings. The Gaels threatened with runners on first and second with one-out in the top of the seventh but were unable to capitalize as CCSU nabbed the lead runner at third and then a flyout to end the inning.
The Blue Devils tied the game up 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff shot to left field. Rieb settled back in with two more strikeouts to end the frame.
Iona was retired to start extra innings before two quick outs to CCSU to begin the bottom of the eighth. CCSU walked the game off on a home run to left center for the 2-1 victory.
The Gaels were held to four hits in the opening game while the Blue Devils recorded seven hits. Rieb struck out eight batters in the complete game effort for the Maroon & Gold.
GAME TWO: IONA 7, CCSU 0
Iona bounced back in the first frame of game two as Guerrero launched a two-out home run to right center for the early 1-0 advantage.
Momentum continued in the second as rookie
Sara Piña led off the inning with a double to right field. After a strikeout, Gonzalez stepped to the dish and launched a two-run blast to left field to extend the Iona lead.
Iona kept it rolling in the third as Guerrero led off the inning with her second home run of the game, a solo shot to right field. The Gaels then walked the bases loaded with one-out. First-year
Jovanna Donaruma and junior
Brianna Fischer picked up back-to-back RBI walks for the 6-0 favor.
Sophomore
Allison Hoppe held the Blue Devils to just two hits through the first three innings while striking out two batters.
Guerrero led off the fourth inning with a single to short before advancing to second on a throwing error and then swiped third base. Acker followed with an RBI single to right field to cap the scoring.
CCSU threatened with the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but Hoppe escaped trouble with an inning ending ground out to short. Hoppe settled back in for the final two innings surrendering just one hit to secure the shutout victory.
Iona totaled 10 hits in game two and held CCSU to just four hits.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Acker recorded her third home run of the season in game one and picked up three RBIs in the two games.
- Guerrero launched her fourth and fifth home runs of the season in game two.
- Gonzalez's homer in game two was her second of the season.
- Rieb posted eight strikeouts in game one to increase her season total to 32 in 34 innings pitched.
- Hoppe earned back-to-back wins in the circle for the Gaels.
UP NEXT
The Gaels make the season debut at Donald E. Walsh Field on Wednesday, March 5 for a 3 p.m. tilt against Fordham.
