FAIRFIELD, CT – Another strong pitching effort by the Iona College baseball team led to a second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series win. The Gaels won the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader at Fairfield 3-2 before falling in the night cap 11-2.
Iona took two of three from the Stags on their home field, Alumni Diamond. Fairfield was picked to finish second in the MAAC preseason coaches’ poll. The Maroon & Gold stands at 4-5 in MAAC play after the first three weekends of the season.
Junior RHP Mariano Rivera baffled Fairfield hitters over seven innings in the opener, earning his second straight complete-game win. Rivera scattered six hits and allowed two runs (one earned) to go along with a walk and nine strikeouts. In three MAAC starts, Rivera is 2-1 with a 0.96 ERA with 27 strikeouts and nine hits allowed in 18.2 innings of work.
The Gaels opened the game with two runs in their first at bat. Sophomore 2B Matt Byrne singled through the right side and proceeded to steal his team leading 12th base of the season. He advanced to third on a ground out. Two batters later, Byrne scored after sophomore DH Alex Beckett reached on an error. With two on and two out, junior LF Kyle DiVico drove home junior LF Travis Mistretta for the team’s second tally.
In the bottom of the second the Stags took advantage of a Rivera miscue for their first tally. With one out, RF Dan Hopkins reached on throwing error by the Gael hurler and went to third on a wild pitch. After Rivera struck out 2B Sal Ciccone, Hopkins scored on an infield hit by SS Michael Conti.
Iona answered with its third run of the contest in its next at bat. With Mistretta on third and one out, junior C Carmine Palummo’s bouncing ball up the middle could not be reached by the Stag shortstop and he was safe at first with an RBI infield hit.
Rivera stranded a runner in the bottom of the third and fourth innings and retired the side in order in the fifth. He ran into trouble in the sixth inning allowing a double and an RBI single to lead off the inning. After CF Jake Salpietro was sacrificed to second, Rivera struck out PH Mac Crispino looking on a 3-2 90+ mile per hour fastball and Ciccone on a nasty 0-2 slider to keep the Gaels’ lead at 3-2.
Rivera recorded his third straight strikeout to start the seventh inning, striking out PH Sean Egan on three pitches. Egan foul tipped a pitch that was handled by Palummo behind the plate for his ninth punch out of the afternoon. Center fielder Alex Witkus drew the lone walk allowed by Rivera. The Fairfield speedster was gunned down by Palummo trying to steal second base for the second out. Rivera sealed the win by inducing a game-ending pop out by C Kevin Radziewicz to right field.
DiVico was 2-for-3 to with an RBI to lead the Gaels. Palummo, Byrne and Giuliano all recorded hits in the win. Mistretta scored twice, was 0-for-2 and reached on a hit by pitch.
In the night cap, five errors plagued the Maroon & Gold in the 11-2 defeat. Fairfield also had 14 hits off five Iona pitchers in the defeat. Graduate LHP Eddie Macaluso took the loss. Nine hits and four errors occurred with him on the mount in his 3.2 innings of work.
Iona had 10 hits of its own with Beckett and junior SS Vinny DeMaria posting two apiece. Beckett doubled and scored in the sixth inning. Byrne and Guiliano extended their hitting streaks to five and four game respectively. Guiliano has reached base in an Iona season-high nine straight games. Mistretta, Palummo and freshmen RF Seth Hoagland and 3B Matt Flannery accounted for the Gaels’ other hits in the loss.
The Maroon & Gold have two mid-week non-conference tilts this week, hosting Stony Brook Tuesday before traveling to LIU Brooklyn Wednesday.
