NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona University Baseball team fueled by senior
Andrelys Payamps dominate start picked up their eighth win of the season over Rider. Payamps from his first pitch was locked in and went on to strikeout 11 batters over seven innings, only giving up one run on three hits. All of Payamps strikeouts were swinging strikeouts and displayed his power and control over the zoom. When the Gaels decided to go to the bullpen in the eighth inning, junior
Sean Davis and senior
Matt Zguro followed suit in slamming the door not allowing any hits and striking out three batters.
On the offensive side, everyone contributed with eight Gaels getting a hit. The biggest hit came off the bat of freshman
Sean Stephenson crushing his first home run to left center field. Junior
Damian Rodriguez, sophomore
Jc Frias and graduate student
Jayson Gonzalez all added RBI's in the win.
Game Summary
The Gaels took the early lead again in the bottom of the first inning. Frias was hit by a pitch, sophomore Jordan Overton singled to third base and graduate student James Kemp was also hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gonzalez with ground into a fielder's choice scoring the run but getting thrown out at first. The inning would end, but Payamps would strike out the side in the top of the second setting up Stephenson to lead off the bottom of the second inning with a home run. The first of his college career and was hit to left center field.
Payamps would strikeout another in the third, before giving up a lead off double in the fourth. After another strikeout, he would pick off the runner on second and proceed to strikeout the next batter he faced. Iona's bats would respond with two more runs extending the lead to 4-0. Four straight singles from junior Braize Mitchell, senior Matt Wessels, Rodriguez and Frias kept the line moving allowing for the Gaels to extend their lead.
Back on the bump in the fifth, Payamps sat down Rider 1-2-3 with two via the strikeout. In the sixth inning, Rider would get their only run with a home run to right center field, but again Payamps struck out two batters in the inning. His final inning would be a 1-2-3 seventh and added his final strikeout getting him 11 total on the day. Davis would enter the game in the eighth inning and work around a work striking out two.
Finally in the ninth inning, Zguro did what he does best and slammed the door. Striking out one and forcing weak contact the game would end on a ground out to Frias. Payamps earned his first win of the season, while Rider's Batt took home the loss. Zguro added his second save of the year.
TEAM STATS
- Iona blew by Rider with 14 strikeouts compared to seven
- Neither club commit an error
- The Maroon & Gold had ten hits, while the Broncs only had three
- The Broncs stole the only base of the game
notable nuggets
- Payamps and his 11 strikeouts gets his career total up to 99.
- Payamps tied Stephen Hansen(4/20/19 @NIA) for second most strikeouts in a game, 13 is the record.
- Stephenson knocked in his first collegiate home run.
- Kemp hitting streak now at 11 games.
- Today's game ranks sixth in most total strikeouts in Iona history with 14.
- Zguro now moves into seventh all-time in Iona history for saves.
Up Next
The series concludes between the Gaels and Broncs on Sunday at City Park with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m.
