Box Score (GM 1) | Box Score (GM 2) | Photo Gallery
New Rochelle, NY - No. 6 Manhattan and No. 3 Iona split the first two games of Saturday's MAAC Quarterfinal best-of-three series at Donald E. Walshe Field, and will play the third and deciding game tomorrow at 12:00 pm.
* The Jaspers (18-14) won the opener by a 6-2 count, before the Gaels (22-11) took the nightcap 3-1.
Game One
* Graduate student
Nicole Williams (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's) struck out 11 in a complete game effort to lead Manhattan to a 6-2 victory over Iona.
* The Jaspers opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.
Lauren Rende (So., Ardsley, NY / Ardsley) and
Annie Moore led off with walks, before moving to second-and-third on a sacrifice bunt. Senior
Daniela Chiorazzi (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) followed with a RBI single to open scoring for the game.
* Sophomore
Marika Deemer (Perrysburg, OH / Perrysburg) then added a RBI single of her own in capping the scoring in the frame.
* Manhattan added to the lead in the third inning as Moore led off with a single, before scoring on a Deemer two-out RBI double.
* In the top of the fourth, the Jaspers extended their lead out to 4-0 on a
Gabriella Mazzotta (So., Somers, NY / Somers) solo home run.
* Iona finally dented the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the frame, before Moore countered with a solo home run of her own in the top of the fifth.
* Mazzotta then made is a 6-1 game in the sixth with a RBI ground out that plated junior
Jessie Rising (Little Egg Harbor, NJ / Pinelands).
* The Gaels would get one run back in the bottom of the seventh, but nothing more as Williams yielded two runs on five hits over 7.0 innings in moving to 9-2 on the year in getting the better of MAAC Pitcher of the Year Kara Zazzaro.
Game Two
* Iona held off Manhattan by a 3-1 count in game two.
* The Gaels opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the second inning, despite registering just one hit.
* In the top of the fourth, the Jaspers got one run back. Moore led off with a walk, before moving second on a one-out walk to Chiorazzi and scored on
Victoria Alonso's (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) two-out RBI single up the middle.
* Unfortunately, the Green & White would lead would strand the would-be tying runs on base.
* Deemer had two of the four Manhattan hits to pace the offense, and struck out four over 4.1 hitless innings of relief.
* Zazzaro (19-3) earned the victory, striking out eight in a complete game effort for the Gaels.
