Bison softball hosted Iona last Thursday afternoon in their final home games of the season. In each game, the Gaels had one big inning to help them win.
Starting pitcher for game one was Savannah Jones ʼ25. Last week, she was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week, and Thursday against Iona she pushed her scoreless inning streak to 16. The Gaels broke this streak in the third inning, when they were able to bring a run in with two outs on the scoreboard.
Jones continued on the mound until the sixth inning when Iona brought in four more runs. Madison Roukey ʼ25 came in as the relief pitcher but immediately faced challenges from the Iona batters. The Gaels hit right at Brooke Popella ʼ27, who was unable to grab the ball with her backhand. The next batter bunted and safely made it to first. The third batter singled, then the bases were loaded. A sacrifice fly brought in the first run, then a single and a pop-up helped Iona score their next two runs.
The Bison gave it their all until the final out, and the game ended 5-3 in favor of Iona.
The second game came down to pitching. Roukey remained on the mound and had five successful innings. The Bison had a few scoring opportunities but were unable to execute them. Iona’s scoring burst came in the sixth inning, helping them run away with the win.
In the second inning of game two, MaKenzie Hilling ʼ25 tripled, setting up a scoring opportunity. With one out on the board, Nicole Lioumis ʼ26 grounded out and Reagan Powell ʼ28 struck out, ending the inning before they could score. Their next moment came in the fourth inning Jones made it to base after being hit by a pitch, and Popella singled. Hilling loaded the bases with a single. Lioumis was up to bat but struck out, handing the team their second out. Powell’s pop-up ended the inning.
In their final effort to score, Haley Speicher ʼ26 tripled. Ava Aguilar ʼ25 and Jones did their best to bring in the run but were unable to do so. Iona’s big scoring moment came in the sixth inning, starting with a leadoff triple. An Iona batter followed up with a home run to put the Gaels up 3-0. The Orange and Blue pulled off a walk before the game ended 3-0 for an Iona win.
The Bison will be traveling to Holy Cross for a doubleheader this weekend.
