Siena Baseball got off to another solid start in New Rochelle, but were unable to hold it as the Saints dropped the middle game of the three-game set against home-standing Iona 5-2 at City Park on Friday afternoon.
The Saints (11-40, 7-16 MAAC) took another early lead for the second straight game when
Tyler Figueroa knocked a single past Iona shortstop Jayson Gonzalez and Siena's Randall Hein scored on an errant throw by Gonzalez in the top of the third inning.
Siena added to their lead the next inning on a sacrifice fly RBI by
Kobe Stenson that plated
Austin Rachiele that made it 2-0 in favor of the Saints.
But, the Gaels rallied to tie the score on a solo home run by Jim Pasquale in the bottom half of the fourth inning and picked up an RBI single by Josiah Ragsdale to score Nickolas Mora.
Freshman
Nolan Puglisi got the start for Siena and tied his longest outing of the season by working five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and walked just one. Puglisi last worked five innings back on March 26 in a win against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Casey Vaughn (0-2) came on in relief worked a scoreless sixth inning before running in some trouble in the seventh when the Gaels strung together three runs on four hits to take the lead for good.
Neither team scored thereafter.
The Gaels (12-37, 6-17 MAAC) were boosted by the number two, three and five hitters in the lineup Ragsdale, Carter Groen and Pasquale, who combined for nine of Iona's 11 hits and drove in four of their runs.
Andrelys Payamps (5-5) earned the win after tossing seven innings and allowed just two runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and walked four.
Siena had a potential comeback attempt fall short in the top of the ninth when
Gunnar Meland led the inning off with a walk and moved to third base on a bunt single by Hein.
Nick Bergamotto gave it a ride, but flew out to center field to end the threat.
The series and the season will conclude with a Saturday matinee and first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Iona.
