April 6, 2008
Final Stats
The Iona College softball team swept a doubleheader from Siena in the first softball games ever played at the Gaels' new Rice Oval softball field Sunday afternoon. Iona won the opener 3-2 and the nightcap 6-0.
The Saints loaded the bases in the seventh inning of the first game, but could not score the tying run. Courtney Christie made a diving catch on Sara Gallachi's line drive to left field to end the game.
Erin Kyle tripling to the gap in right center field to start an Iona rally in the first. She was plated by the next batter, freshman Melanie Gettins on a sacrifice fly.
The Gaels added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead. Senior SS Amanda Glaser pushed home the eventual game winning run on a single up the middle.
Siena (6-16, 0-2 MAAC) threatened in nearly every inning until finally pushing across two runs of Becky Riccitelli in the top of the fifth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Olivia Calcagnini plated both of the Saints' runs with a sharp single.
The Saints out-hit the Gaels 10-5. Andrea and Jamie Piela joined Jennifer Garanto and Lauren Weingart with two hit games for Siena. Five different batters recorded a hit for the Gaels in the win. Becky Riccitelli (4-8) scattered 10 hits and struck out five for her fourth win of the season. Jamie Piela went the distance in the circle for Siena allowing just one earned run.
In the nightcap, Iona scored five runs on six hits as the lineup batted around in the first innings. The Gaels then tacked on a run in their final at bat when Kyle plated Christie with a two-out RBI single.
Senior Katie Jo Passero (2-5) allowed just four hits in the contest for Iona, each of which did not reach the outfield. She had seven strikeouts and only ran into trouble in just one of the seven innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Gaels' defense bailed out their pitcher with a bases loaded, 5-2-3 inning ending double play.
Erin Kyle was the offensive star for Iona collecting three hits a run scored and an RBI in the victory. Jamie Piela was the only Saint to post a two-hit game.
