NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.- Saint Peter's University baseball junior
Sam Haney (Lake Oswego, Ore.) drove in three runs, while junior hurler
Christian Coombes (Ontario, Canada) tossed six innings as the Peacocks defeated Iona University 11-4 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action to even the series at 1-1.
The Peacocks improve to 3-25 overall and 2-6 in the MAAC, while the Gaels fall to 5-22 and 1-4 in conference play.
Saint Peter's jumped out to an early lead with six runs over the first two innings. Junior
Nick Markantonatos (Portland, Ore.) doubled home the first run of the game in the opening inning. Junior
Johnathan Behm (Colorado Springs, Colo.) singled in a run in the inning, while Haney added a run scoring double.
The Peacocks tacked on three runs in the second as senior
Anthony Abbatine (Warwick, N.Y.) singled in a run in the inning. Saint Peter's scored a run on a wild pitch, while sophomore
Tyler Smith (Babylon, N.Y.) recorded an RBI groundout for a 6-0 lead.
The Gaels got two runs back the fourth and fifth innings but the Peacocks answered in the sixth. Markantonatos drove home a run in the sixth, while Haney doubled in two runs in the eighth. Iona got a run in their half of the eighth to close the gap to 9-3.
Saint Peter's added insurance runs in the ninth as Abbatine in a run, while junior
Jack Eichler (Verona, N.J.) followed with a run scoring double.
Coombes was solid on the mound, tossing six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with four strikeouts to improve to 2-5. Freshman
Ryan Seymour (Corona, Calif.) earned his first save of the season with three innings in relief, allowing two runs on two hits.
The Peacocks and the Gaels conclude their three-game series on Saturday, April 8 at noon in New Rochelle, New York.
