NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College baseball team fell to Lehigh 11-1 in non-conference action at City Park.
The Mountainhawks scored twice in the opening inning following a two-out, two-run home run by SS John Elson. Elson hit just the third home run in three seasons at City Park.
Iona scored in the bottom of the second. Following a leadoff double by freshman 3B Seth Hoagland, the Gaels used two ground outs to get the run home with junior DH Zach Brown earning the RBI.
Lehigh took a three-run lead after two more in the third and lead 5-1 after six innings before scoring six runs off the Gaels’ bullpen.
Hoagland, senior RF Steve Basile, junior SS Vinny DeMaria and junior LF Travis Mistretta picked up hits for the Maroon & Gold.
Rookie RHP Patrick Ryan took the loss. He allowed five runs on nine hits and struck out a season-best nine batters in his longest collegiate outing of six innings.
Elson drove in six runs with a 3-for-4 effort to lead the visitors. Reliever Connor Donovan retired all 11 batters he faced in the fifth through eighth innings to earn the win.
Iona takes on the Big East’s St. John’s tomorrow in Queens in a game that can be seen live nationally on ESPN3.