NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Senior Christine Costello pitched one of the best games of her Iona career Sunday morning, hurling a six-hit shutout against Central Michigan. Her efforts in the circle were needed as the Gaels gutted out a 1-0 victory to put a cap on their efforts at the USF Under Armor Invitational.
The lone run for the Maroon & Gold came off a big-time smash by junior All-MAAC Preseason selection Kristen Turner. The first baseball took a 2-2 pitch and punched it over the left field wall.
The Broncos threatened in the first, placing runners on first and second via an 11 pitch walk and single. Costello was able to work out the slight jam by forcing a popup to the inning. Western Michigan had a runner on third with one out in the third, but senior Sarah Schutz nabbed a line drive down the hot corner, and then Costello was able to force a groundout.
In both the fifth and sixth inning, the ace in the circle had to navigate her way through a pair of potential game-tilting Western Michigan scoring chances. The Broncos had runners on second and third base in both cases; Costello and Iona didn’t flinch as the senior forced a fly out to center, and a strikeout to end both threats.
Iona had just three hits in the game, one on the Turner homer, and the other couple coming off the bats of Costello and Schutz.
The next trip for the Gaels will be out west for the Santa Clara Tournament, where they’ll take on the likes of Dartmouth, Colgate, Santa Clara, and North Dakota. The action is set to begin on Friday, March 18.