The Iona College baseball team (4-12) has had a rough stretch lately as the team has found themselves on the losing end of five straight games.

Iona lost the final two games of their series against Longwood University after taking the series opener, and then went down to Virginia and got swept by Virginia Commonwealth University.

While the Gaels have been losing games, the games themselves have been close for the most part. The team was only outscored 10 to five against VCU and two of those games were decided by one run.

Two players who had been hot earlier have continued their scorching start for the Gaels, even in the middle of a challenging stretch.

Senior infielder Sean Scales has done a solid job leading the Gaels offensively. Scales came into this season hitting and has shown no signs of stopping. He is carrying a staggering .413 batting average with a total of 26 hits in 63 at-bats.

Scales has shown some solid plate discipline as well, tallying eight total walks and only 10 strikeouts. He compiled eight hits in 24 at-bats during the last six games. Scales also has seven multi-hit games. He registered three hits or more in four of those seven multi-hit games.

Scales hasn’t been the only Gael who has come into the season on a mission. Senior right-handed pitcher Joe DeRosa has been a solid arm in the pitching staff.

DeRosa took the hill twice during the team’s last six games. He pitched a total of 13.2 innings while surrendering 13 hits and five earned runs. While he did get tagged for two losses and had a rough start against Longwood, he still chewed innings for the staff.

DeRosa pitched six innings against Longwood and gave up four earned runs on eight hits. He struck out one batter and surrendered three extra-base hits.

That start didn’t slow DeRosa down, as he bounced back against VCU with a gem. He went 7.2 innings pitched and only gave up one earned run on five hits. DeRosa allowed one home run while recording three strikeouts.

The Gaels will look to break their losing streak as they get ready to start playing home games after their matchup against LIU Brooklyn on March 20.

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