Softball Grabs Two Wins from Iona

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Riverdale, NY - Catcher Daniela Chiorazzi (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) went 4-7 with six RBIs over two games on Sunday, April 29, helping Manhattan softball to a 2-0 sweep of Iona at Gaelic Park. The Jaspers, who currently hold a five-game win streak, improve to 6-10 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and 22-23 overall, while Iona, ranked third in the MAAC coming into Sunday, drops to 9-7 in conference and 17-23 for the year. 

Manhattan won game one 6-3 over the Gaels. The Jaspers took an early lead in the game, taking advantage of four walks by Iona pitcher Marnie Skinner in the bottom of the first that drove in three Manhattan runs. 

The Gaels struck back in the second, starting with Kimberly Chiapparelli's one-run homer off Manhattan's Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY / Tamarac) to open the inning. Iona picked up one more run before their third out, but junior Lauren Pitney put the Jaspers' lead back to two when she got a homer for herself in the bottom of the second, making it 4-2.

The Gaels cut the lead to one in the top of the fourth on another one-run homer, this time by Hailey Thompson. But Chiorazzi broke it open in the sixth with a two-run double to left field that scored both Pitney and Matazinsky. The score would hold at 6-3, resulting in a Jasper win.

Pitcher Kayla McDermott (Garnerville, NY / North Rockland) earned the W for Manhattan, relieving Matazinsky after three innings and giving up just one hit. She's now 6-3 on the year. 

Chiorazzi again proved instrumental to the Jasper offensive in game two, homering in the bottom of the first inning to put Manhattan up 2-0 to start the game. She would finish 2-3 with four RBIs. Junior Kat Prevo (San Diego, CA / Our Lady of Peace) added to the offense, going 2-3 with three RBIs. Manhattan got five runs in the bottom of the fourth, forcing the game to end early per the NCAA run rule after Iona was unable to cut the lead in the fifth.

Game two winning pitcher Nicole Williams earned seven strikeouts in 20 batters faced, walking just two. She let up just one run in the game, a home run from Jasmine Temple, and is now 8-9 for the season. 

Up Next:
The Jaspers will travel to Saint Peter's on Wednesday, May 2 to play the Peacocks in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.