NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College softball team moved to 11-5 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a two game sweep of Quinnipiac Saturday afternoon at Donald E. Walsh Field. The Gaels have won each of their last eight league contests.
In game one, Iona rode the arm of starter Christine Costello to a 3-0 victory, before sophomore Kelsey Long provided the game winning run with a fourth inning home run in a 3-2 game two win.
The Gaels opened the day’s scoring in the second inning of game one. After a one-out single up the middle by freshman Courtney Miller, sophomore Katie Newton plated the rookie with a ground rule double to right center.
Sophomore Kristen Turner pushed the lead to two in the third inning, when she drove in senior Allison Hand with a single up the middle. Newton drove in her second run of the game in the sixth inning, pushing across junior Brianna King with a single to center.
Costello allowed just two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over her seven innings, claiming her fifth win in league play in the process. Bobcats starter Hannah Lindsley allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks to take the loss.
In the finale of the day, Iona scored in its first at bat of the game, when Hand scored on a fielder’s choice by Turner. Quinnipiac evened the contest in the top of the third inning, on an RBI single by Nikki Barba.
The Gaels quickly answered in the bottom of the frame, as freshman Tori Danner plated Newton with a single up the middle. The Bobcats evened the game in the top of the fourth inning, before Long connected on her first home run of the season to right center, to push Iona ahead 3-2.
From there, junior starter Jordan Courage allowed just two base runners over the final three innings. Overall, Courage surrendered two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out three, for her fifth win of the year.
