Siena Baseball survived one dicey ninth inning while being overcome in the other to split doubleheader action at Iona. The Saints took the opener 7-6 to secure their fourth straight MAAC series victory, while the Gaels avoided the sweep with a 6-5 walk-off in the nightcap.
Game One: Siena 7, Iona 6
Siena (16-25, 12-9) survived a five-run ninth inning rally to secure their fourth straight MAAC series victory for the first time since winning nine consecutive conference series from April 2016 - April 2017. Moreover, the Saints 16 wins are now the program's most since winning 18 during the 2019 campaign, while their 12 league victories also mark the highest total since playing an exclusive 36-game regular season league schedule during the COVID-affected 2021 season (14).
Noah Rodriguez went eight strong on the bump while the offense added what turned out to be five vital insurance runs over the final three innings. Rodriguez scattered 10 hits and three runs to pick up his third win of the season.
Jeremy Sangalang paced the offensive with a pair of hits and three RBI, while
Jake Sparks added a pair of doubles.
Trailing by six heading to the home half of the ninth, Iona (14-27, 8-13) rallied with five runs on six hits. But with the tying run on second and one out,
Ryan Taffe came out of the bullpen to induce a fly out and line out to earn the save.
Game Two: Iona 6, Siena 5
Iona would not be denied a second ninth inning rally as the Gaels prevailed with three runs in the final frame to salvage the series.
Down to their final out and trailing by two with the bases empty, four straight Iona batters reached to pull out the comeback. Jordan Overton delivered the game-tying two-run double, while James Kemp provided the walk-off RBI single.
Aidan Paradine registered three more hits while adding his sixth home run of the season for the Saints. Sparks also added a solo shot for his team-leading 11
th home run to open the ninth.
Siena wraps up a nine-game road trip Wednesday when they take on UMass at 3 p.m.
