The Iona College baseball team took two out of three games from local rival Manhattan on April 5 and 6.

After failing to beat Manhattan in any of their previous 17 matchups, the Gaels (6-22 overall, 3-9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)) took the first game of a doubleheader against the Jaspers 4-2.

Graduate student Kenny Dietrich pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings for Iona in a winning effort, while a two-run double from sophomore shortstop Vinny DeMaria in a three-run sixth inning was crucial for Iona as they built up a 4-0 lead.

Although the Jaspers got within two runs after a home run in the ninth, sophomore John Daddino retired two batters to earn his second save of the year.

Manhattan came back to win the second contest of the doubleheader 3-2 on a walk-off single. Sophomore Mariano Rivera pitched a complete game in the losing effort, allowing two earned runs after throwing 110 pitches.

In the rubber game of the series, the Gaels won 10-6.

After scoring one run in the first, the Gaels’ offense came to life in the second inning when senior second baseman Bobby Vituano hit an RBI single. Vituano and sophomore designated hitter Zach Brown both scored on a throwing error to give Iona a 4-0 lead.

In the third inning, the Maroon & Gold tallied five more runs. Sophomore catcher Carmine Palummo belted a solo home run. Freshman Tyler Bruno drove home another run with a sacrifice fly. After Vituano drove home another run, DeMaria knocked in two more runs on a single, giving Iona a 9-0 advantage.

Manhattan got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth with two runs. Both teams plated one run in the sixth inning. The Jaspers staged a valiant comeback by scoring two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth but ultimately came up short.

Freshman Bill Maier earned his first collegiate win in the contest by pitching 7 1/3 innings, while allowing only six hits.

“It was a great series win,” senior outfielder Joe Torres said. “We struggled against Manhattan in the past, and getting two wins is great for our program.”

Iona returned to play two non-conference contests at home at City Park. They started with a 6-4 loss to Stony Brook on April 8.

A three-run fourth inning featured RBI from Torres, DeMaria and Palummo, which gave Iona a 4-1 lead. However, Stony Brook tied the game in the next half-inning and took a 6-4 advantage into the ninth.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Torres hit a line drive to the outfield that was caught by the Seawolves’ outfielder, who made a diving grab to end the contest.

The following day, Iona again fell to LIU-Brooklyn 7-4.

After giving up two runs to the Blackbirds in the first inning, the Gaels scored four runs in the first two trips at bat to hold a 4-2 lead after two innings.

The Blackbirds tied the game in the third inning, and added three more in the fourth inning. Iona was held to just one hit over the last five innings.

Iona’s struggles at home continued with a three game series against Quinnipiac.

In the first game of the series, the Bobcats shut out the Gaels 3-0.

During the second game, Quinnipiac scored first with a run in the first inning. Iona knotted the score in the bottom of the fourth. The two teams were tied after the end of regulation (seven innings); the Bobcats pushed a run across in the eighth inning to win 2-1.

The Bobcats completed the sweep the following afternoon with another shutout, this time by a final score of 6-0.

On April 18 and 19, the Gaels visited Siena for three games. The Saints won all three contests.

During a doubleheader to start the three-game set, the Gaels lost both games by a combined three runs.

In the first game, Iona lost 3-2. The Gaels led 2-1 and were one out away from picking up the victory, but Siena senior Vincent Citro hit a two-run walk off single to give the Saints the win.

Later that afternoon, Siena won 2-0. Rivera pitched a complete game for the Gaels, but the offense failed to put any runs on the board.

The following afternoon, Siena completed the sweep with a 5-4 win. The Saints led 5-1 after three innings. Iona scored one run in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh but could not catch the Saints.

The Maroon & Gold were scheduled to play Fairleigh Dickinson on April 23; the results were not available at press time. On April 24, they travel to New York Tech, before continuing MAAC play at home with Niagara on April 26.

“We always play Niagara well every year, and I expect the same this year,” Torres said.