March 21, 2009
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Sophomore center fielder Michael Gallic (Tolland, Conn.) singled to left field with one out in the eighth inning, scoring senior left fielder Brian McDonough (Hanover, Mass.) with the winning run as the Marist baseball team defeated Iona 6-5 to complete a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at McCann Baseball Field. This game was originally scheduled for seven innings.
Marist jumped out to an early 4-0 lead by scoring once in the second and three times in the second. In the first inning, an RBI single by red-shirt sophomore designated hitter Bryce Nugent (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored freshman third baseman George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.). A two-run homer by Gallic in the second expanded Marist's lead to 3-0, and the Red Foxes added one more in the frame when an RBI single by junior left fielder Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park, N.Y.) scored freshman shortstop Jon Schwind (Hilton, N.Y.).
However, Iona fought its way back by scoring three times in the second and twice in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Marist tied the game in its half of the sixth when McDonough came home on a single by senior right fielder Kyle Meyer (East Greenbush, N.Y.).
Sophomore right-hander Kyle Putnam (New Windsor, N.Y.) started for Marist and went the first 4.2 innings. He was charged with all five Iona runs, two of which were unearned. Putnam was relieved by senior lefty Peter Barone (Hauppauge, N.Y.), who did not allow a hit or a run over the next 2.1 innings. Senior righty Jacob Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) came on to pitch the eighth, and after allowing a leadoff triple, he struck out the next two batters and induced a groundout to keep Iona off the scoreboard. Wiley picked up the victory to improve to 2-1.
Marist improved to 8-8 overall and 2-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with the win, while Iona now stands at 0-16 overall. The teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday, with a single game at McCann Baseball Field at noon. Junior right-hander B.J. Martin (Manalapan, N.J.) is Marist's scheduled starter.
