Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Iona defeated Saint Peter's 13-2 in the rubber game of a three-game series in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) baseball action on Sunday.
Rob Moore (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) paced the Peacocks (11-33, 6-11 MAAC) with two hits while Ariel Ramirez (San Domingo, Dominican Republic/Babeque) added a hit and a run scored in the loss.
Joe Smith, who went 5-for-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs in the nightcap on Saturday, fueled the Gaels (10-26, 7-11 MAAC) with three hits, four RBIs and a run scored. Travis Mistretta posted four hits, four runs scored and an RBI and Bobby Vitulano registered two hits, two runs scored and an RBI in the winning effort.
Iona jumped out to an early lead and never looked back to take two of three from Saint Peter's in the Peacocks final home weekend. Saint Peter's took two of three from the Gaels last season in New Rochelle in their final weekend.
Iona grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to an RBI single from Jimmy Guiliano and an Alex Beckett sacrifice fly.
The Peacocks trimmed the margin to 2-1 in third. Ramirez reached on an infield single before Kyle Grimes (Iselin, N.Y./John F. Kennedy Memorial) reached on a bunt single with two outs. In an odd play, Moore singled to first base before Grimes was caught too far off second and got in a run down only to see Ramirez race home. The throw was in time to get Ramirez, but the catcher dropped the ball on the tag to allow the senior to touch home safely.
The Gaels got the run back in the next inning on a Joe Torres RBI single to right center with two outs to retake a two-run lead. Joe Smith then plated a run in the fifth on an RBI single up the middle to give Iona a 4-1 lead.
A five-run seventh helped break the game open for Iona to give the visitors a 9-1 advantage. Joe Smith hit a two-run double and then he stole second and touched home on a throwing error. Vitulano plated a run on a single to right center and Vinny DeMaria knocked in the fifth run on an infield single.
Aided by two Gaels' errors, Saint Peter's pushed across a run in the seventh. Zach Rawson (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) reached on an error and touched home when Moore reached on an error to cut the deficit to 9-2.
Mistretta and Tyler Bruno each knocked in runs in the eighth and Kyle DeVico and Joe Smith added RBIs in the ninth to set the final score at 13-2.
The game marked the final home game for seniors Ramirez, Kevin Croucher (Wayne, N.J./DePaul Catholic), Zach Hopf (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge), Ed Mejias (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township), Frank Morris (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman [Seton Hall]), Eric Mozeika (Secaucus, N.J./High Tech) Adam Purcilly (Troy, Mich./Avondale) and Jim Smith (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn). All eight seniors played in the game on Sunday except for Hopf and Purcilly, who both took the mound on Saturday.
The Peacocks return to action on Tuesday at Rutgers. Game time is 2 p.m.
