RADFORD, VA — The Iona University Baseball team split today's doubleheader. In game one, the Gaels fell 7-3 but rallied back to win 9-8, backed by a great showing late by the bullpen and offense. In the second game, the Gaels picked up right where they left of scoring two in the first, but struggled to pick up Radford's pitching the rest of the way as they fell 6-3.
Game One
The Maroon & Gold opened the game with a walk to spark a big inning. Redshirt junior Jordan Overton doubled to move senior Damian Rodriguez to third, and junior AJ Oden drove in the first runs of the season with a double. Senior Braize Mitchell followed with a double of his own to bring home the third run of the inning. Despite a rocky bottom of the first, the Maroon & Gold escaped unscathed.
The Highlanders responded in the bottom of the second, beginning the inning with a walk before a double drove in their first run. A sacrifice bunt later in the frame brought in their second run. The rally continued into the bottom of the third, where a lead off single started a four-run inning. A pair of walks and a triple helped push their lead to 6–3 after three innings of play. The bottom of the fourth marked the third straight inning with at least one run for the Highlanders, as a single followed by a double extended the lead to 7–3 heading into the second half of game one.
After three scoreless innings, the Gaels began to respond offensively. Overton doubled and was later driven in by a Mitchell single. Sophomore Malachi Costello followed by driving in Mitchell to cut the deficit to three. Sophomore Kieran Kehoe reached on an error, though Costello was out at second while Mitchell advanced to third. Senior Nickolas Mora then singled to the pitcher to make it a 7–5 game heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The Maroon & Gold pitching staff held firm in the bottom of the fifth, and Overton later drove in Rodriguez in the top of the inning following his earlier single. In the top of the seventh, Kehoe singled to second and was pinch-run for by redshirt freshman Cole Silvia. Mora followed with a single to left, and after advancing to second, Silvia moved to third on a wild pitch. senior Anthony Zollo then brought him home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at seven.
Radford regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly. No runs were scored in the eighth, sending the game to the ninth inning. The frame began with Mitchell being hit by a pitch, and freshman Aiden Ciprian entered as a pinch runner. Costello singled to center to advance Ciprian to third, and an error allowed Ciprian to score and tie the game at 8. Two outs later, Zollo doubled to right field to give the Gaels their first lead since the third inning. Junior Saul Mata shut the door in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Maroon & Gold's first win of the 2026 season.
Game Two
The Maroon & Gold offense picked up right where it left off in game two as Rodriguez opened the game with a single to center and was later driven in by Overton, who doubled to right-center field to give the Gaels an early 1-0 lead. After advancing to third, Overton came home on a passed ball to extend the advantage to 2-0 heading into the bottom of the inning.
Hits became scarce for the Maroon & Gold as the Highlanders' pitching settled in after the first. The Gaels managed just one hit over the next four innings. Radford sparked a rally in the bottom of the fifth with a lead-off walk, followed by two consecutive hits that tied the score at two apiece.
The Highlanders then took the lead after a lead-off double and a ground ball advanced the runner to third, who later scored on a sacrifice fly for their first lead of the game. The Gaels continued to struggle against Radford's pitching in the seventh inning, when a four-run rally pushed the Highlanders' lead to 6-2.
The Gaels showed signs of life in the eighth following a rally and an Overton double that drove in a run. A hit by pitch in the following at-bat kept the momentum alive, but the rally was cut short by a ground out to third. The seventh inning proved to be the difference, as the Gaels fell in the rubber match, 6-3.
TEAM STATS
- The Gaels tallied 21 total hits in the doubleheader.
- The Maroon & Gold tallied a total of five doubles between both games.
- Iona's pitchers tallied 9 strikeouts.
- In game one, the Gaels only allowed 6 hits after the fourth inning.
notable nuggets
- Rodriguez batted .375 on the day with three hits and two walks.
- Overton tallied 3 rbi's on four hits.
- Sophomore Justin Trinidad pitched 4 innings and only allowed one earned run on three hits.
- Mata received the win in game one allowed three hits and zero earned runs.
Up Next
The Gaels return to action for another weekend series on Friday as they stay in the state as they travel to Hofstra. First pitch is scheduled for 1 P.M.
