The Iona College baseball team has had a rough start to the season, dropping seven of its first eight games.

The Gaels won their first game of the season in the final game of a three-game series at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. March 6.

Sophomore starting pitcher Pat Ryan was stellar, giving up just one earned run in six innings of work, while scattering eight hits. Senior catcher Carmine Palummo and freshman outfielder Niko Switalla both had one RBI en route to a 7-3 win for the Gaels.

“It feels great to get the first win,” sophomore pitcher Kyle Ackley said. “We’ve played multiple games into extra innings. It feels great to come out on top.”

The previous day featured a 12-inning thriller, but Iona came up short, losing 14-13.

Freshman infielder Sean Breen and junior infielder Lou Matarazzo both knocked in three runs for Iona.

Five Gael pitchers were used, and only senior Alex Fishberg had a scoreless outing, going two innings with no hits and two strikeouts.

Earlier in the day, North Carolina A&T opened the series with a 12-5 win.

Senior outfielder Travis Mistretta drove in a pair of runs. Junior outfielder Kyle DiVico had two hits in the loss.

The Gaels saw positive relief outings from sophomore Kyle Ackley and junior Jake Kurz, who combined to go 2.1 innings allowing zero earned runs.

Prior to this series, Iona opened the season with a four-game set at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C. Feb. 26-28.

The first game was an 11-1 rout in which the Maroon & Gold came up on the short side.

Junior pitcher Bill Maier was only able to go 4.1 innings, giving up eight runs (two earned), while striking out two.

Feb. 27 featured a doubleheader. The first game was a pitcher’s duel that resulted in a 4-2 win for Gardner-Webb.

Iona sophomore starting pitcher Jared Finkel tossed five solid innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits. Sophomore pitcher Joe Derosa looked good, throwing three scoreless in relief. Mistretta and Matarazzo each knocked in one run for the Gaels.

Game two was another close one as the Maroon & Gold fell 3-2 in 10 innings. Freshman starting pitcher Antonio Velardi made his first career collegiate start on the mound for Iona.

He gave up one earned in four innings of work, and was relieved by junior Vinny Martin, who threw four innings of his own without giving up a hit. Freshman outfielder Fran Kinsey was the offensive juggernaut for the Gaels, going 3-for-5 with a run scored.

The finale in North Carolina ended with another extra inning thriller.

The Gaels lost 9-8 in 11 innings, but got good relief outings from Fishberg and fellow senior Andrew Pucillo. Mistretta drove in three runs for Iona, while junior Matt Byrne added three hits of his own.

The Gaels hosted St. John’s March 8. The Red Strom prevailed 5-2 after scoring four runs in the seventh inning.

Iona was scheduled to play March 9 against Rutgers; the results were not available at press time.

Next up on the schedule for the Gaels is a three-game series on the road against UNC-Asheville March 11-13.

“The overall vibe from the team is different than last year,” Ackley said. “There is a much more confident feeling going into games and there is a direct correlation between this feeling and all the work we’ve put in.”