NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College baseball team earned its first win of the 2016 campaign, taking final game of a three-game series at North Carolina A&T in non-conference action at War Memorial Stadium. A four-run sixth inning led the Gaels to a 7-3 win.
Iona scored seven runs on just five hits and took advantage of a couple of Aggie miscues to earn the win. Juniors LF Matt Byrne and 1B Lou Matarazzo, seniors RF Travis Mistretta and DH Carmine Palummo and rookie PH Niko Switalla accounted for the Gaels hits. Byrne scored twice and drove in a run in the win.
Sophomore RHP Patrick Ryan earned the win, tossing six strong innings, allowing just one earned run while scattering eight hits. He walked two and struck out five. Sophomore RHP Kyle Ackley allowed an unearned run in middle relief before senior RHP Alex Fishberg shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Iona jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning before the Aggies knotted the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Five runs between the fourth and fifth innings gave the Gaels a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Iona returns to the Northeast for its scheduled home opener vs. St. John’s at 3:00 pm on Tuesday (Mar. 8) at City Park.