April 29, 2006

Final Stats Game 1
Final Stats Game 2

Siena pounded out 26 hits on the afternoon on its way to an 11-3 and 7-0 doubleheader sweep of Iona Saturday at Siena Field. Ken Grant and James Pacifico pitched complete games for the Saints, and Jake Willis went 4-for-4 in the second game to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

The Saints scored in six of their eight at bats in the opener, including their first four. Rick Seltzer's towering two-run homerun in the first gave Siena an early lead it would not relinquish. Grant worked out of trouble in the first two innings, inducing double play ground outs to get out of trouble in each.

Bill Lazio doubled and scored in the second to put the Saints up 3-0 and after Iona broke through with a run on James LaSala's sacrifice fly in the third, the Saints' bats went back to work. Scott King doubled and scored on Rick Seltzer's groundout in the third and after Joe Lorenzo doubled home a run in the fourth for the Gaels, Matt Gidaly connected on his fourth homerun of the season with Bill Lazio aboard in the bottom half of the inning to make it 6-2.

Grant allowed just one run the rest of the way, a meaningless score in the ninth with the game out of reach. He scattered 10 hits and six walks, but struck out four and got the key outs when needed.

The Saints added three runs in the sixth on a Hildenbrand double, an Ambury sacrifice fly and a fielding error. The Gaels had five costly miscues in the opener. In the eighth, reserve John Wilkes doubled home the Saints final two runs.

King, Willis, Eric Hildenbrand, Lazio and Gidaly each had two hits for Siena. Nick Conte and Matt Callahan each had three hits for the visitors. Pacifico controlled the second game, allowing just six hits and one walk in his fifth complete game of the season. He struck out four batters and did not allow a run.

The Saints gave him all the support he would need early, scoring all seven runs in the first three innings. Willis' first hit drove home King with the game's first run in the first inning. In the second inning, Gabe Perez tripled home two runs, his second hit in as many innings.

Chris Klepps and Ambury each had run scoring hits in third, and Matt Gidaly completed Siena's scoring with a sacrifice fly to center. Perez had two hits to complement Willis' season-high four. Six Iona players hit safely.

The two teams complete the three games et Sunday at noon at Siena field.