NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College baseball team split a doubleheader with Monmouth Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at City Park. The Gaels’ bats exploded for 12 runs and 18 hits in a 12-3 win over the Hawks in the opener. In the night cap, Iona was two outs away from a sweep before a five-run Monmouth rally resulted in an 8-5 defeat.
One game after posting a season-high 13 runs at LIU Brooklyn, the Gaels put a 12-spot on the board with a season-high 18 hits vs. Monmouth in the opener. Iona led 3-0 after its first turn at bat. Following a leadoff single by sophomore 2B Matt Byrne, the Gael speedster stole his team-high 13th base of the season. He scored three batters later on a base hit by sophomore C Alex Beckett. Rookie 3B Seth Hoagland and sophomore SS Vinny DeMaria followed with singles of their own. Beckett scored on DeMaria’s hit and Hoagland came around for the third run of the frame after a throwing error by the Monmouth catcher.
Iona led 6-0 after three innings, scoring all three third inning runs with two out. Beckett recorded his second hit of the day with a one-out hit. Two batters later, DeMaria got his second hit to drive in his teammate. Rookie DH Matt Flannery and junior RF Kyle DiVico posted back-to-back doubles to give Iona a six-run advantage.
The Maroon & Gold added two more in the fourth on a single by junior LF Travis Mistretta and a groundout by Hoagland.
In the eighth, a leadoff double by freshman CF Jon Budesa was followed by a triple in the right centerfield gap by Byrne. An RBI single by senior 1B Jimmy Guiliano accounted for the second run of the frame. With two out, Hoagland recorded an infield single and DeMaria drove in two with a double to left field to make the score 12-0.
Monmouth scored all three of its runs in its final at bat in the ninth inning, finally getting to sophomore RHP Bill Maier. Maier tossed 8.2 strong innings before being relieved by junior LHP John Nargoski for the final out. Prior to the ninth, Maier allowed no runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout.
DeMaria had his first collegiate four-hit effort going 4-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored. Byrne was 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI. Guiliano, Beckett, Hoagland and Budesa each had two hits in the win. All nine starters for the Gaels got in the hit column in the win.
Monmouth senior 1B Dave Moreno and junior 2B Sean Arnott had two hits apiece in the loss. Senior RHP Chris McKenna took the loss allowing eight runs on 11 hits in three-plus innings.
The Gaels got off to a fast start in game two for RHP Mariano Rivera, leading 3-0 after three innings. Rivera retired the first nine batters he faced, touching 97 mph on the radar gun in the opening inning.
Byrne led off the bottom of the first with his second triple of the afternoon and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mistretta. Iona added two in the third on a two-out single by Hoagland.
Rivera labored through the fourth inning allowing two runs and three hits. He was relieved in the fourth inning after two batters after struggling to grip the ball due to a split fingernail. Sophomore LHP Andrew Camiolo needed just four pitches to induce two ground balls to keep the Gaels ahead 3-2.
Iona tacked on two runs in the top of the fifth inning with another two out hit. DeMaria came through with a base hit the other way that scored junior C Carmine Palummo and Guiliano and gave the Maroon & Gold a 5-2 advantage.
Monmouth got within two runs in the sixth inning with a single run. Junior RHP John Daddino relieved Camiolo with the bases loaded and two outs. On a 3-2 pitch, Daddino’s fastball was just off the plate and the Hawks scored on a walk. He got an 0-2 ground ball to DeMaria on the next batter to get out of the jam.
After an auspicious start to the seventh with Daddino striking out the leadoff hitter on a full-count, Monmouth had six straight batters reach base to account for their five runs.
Rivera tossed 4.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Camiolo allowed a run on two hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Daddino took the loss in just 0.2 innings before the final two outs were recorded by sophomore RHP Vinny Martin.
Byrne was 2-for-4, recording his third straight multi-hit effort while extending his hitting streak to eight games. Over the stretch he is hitting .411 with 14 hits, three triples, eight runs scored and four RBI. His batting average has risen from .257 to .302. Guiliano, Mistretta, Hoagland and DeMaria each recorded hits in the loss.
Senior C Kyle Perry led the Hawks with a 2-for-4 effort with a run scored and three RBI. Freshman LHP Justin Andrews earned the win in relief. He struck out three of the six batters he faced allowing a walk and a hit in the fifth and sixth innings. Senior RHP T.J. Hunt allowed five runs in 4.1 innings in a no-decision.
Iona has won seven of its last 10 contests. During the stretch the Gaels have raised their team batting average by 27 points, batting .277 (90-for-325). In the seven wins, Iona’s ERA is 2.44.