Lou Iannotti Hits Walk-Off RBI Single in Bottom of the Ninth, QU Baseball Sweeps Iona with 3-2 Win

Sunday, April 17

Hamden, CT

12 PM

Quinnipiac University

13-20, 4-5

Iona

7-25, 2-7

IONA

Quinnipiac

Lou Iannotti Hits Walk-Off RBI Single in Bottom of the Ninth, QU Baseball Sweeps Iona with 3-2 Win

4/17/2016 4:31:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

Box Score

HAMDEN, Connecticut – Lou Iannotti (North Haven, Connecticut) provided the heroics Sunday afternoon for the Quinnipiac baseball team as he hit the game-winning walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the sweep of the Iona Gaels with the 3-2 win.

Aron Fried (Ossining, New York) led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single before Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) sacrificed him over to second base. After an intentional walk to Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut), Pescitelli singled to right field to load the bases. With a 1-0 count, Iannotti drilled a single to right field to score Fried from third base.

The Bobcats improved to 13-20 (4-5 MAAC) as they extend their winning streak to four games while Iona falls to 7-25 (2-7 MAAC) with their ninth consecutive loss. Quinnipiac picked up its first season sweep of the season and fourth season sweep of a MAAC opponent since joining the league for the 2014 season. Iona stranded 15 runners on base compared to Quinnipiac's nine.

The Bobcats pounded out 11 hits with five players recording multiple hits in the game. Iannotti went 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI while Fried went 2 for 4 with the game-winning run. Batten also went 2 for 4 with a run, RBI, walk and stolen base.

Matthew Oestreicher (North Haven, Connecticut) went 2 for 4 with a double, Rob Pescitelli (Bayshore, New York) went 2 for 3 with two walks and Moskey went 1 for 3 with a double, run scored, stolen base and two sacrifice bunts.

The bullpen came up clutch for the Bobcats once again as they pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for starting pitcher Alex Vargas (New York, New York). The bullpen allowed just three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Robert Hitt (Suffield, Connecticut) picked up his first win of the season for the Bobcats with 1 1/3 innings pitched allowed one hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

The Bobcats struck first in the bottom of the 1^st inning to jump out to a 1-0 lead. Moskey led off the game with a ground-rule double down the left field line. On the next pitch, Moskey took off for third base for his first stolen base of the day. Batten poked a single to right field to bring home Moskey.

Iona evened up the score in the top of the third inning. Sean Breen was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning followed by back-to-back singles from Kyle DiVico and Carmine Palummo to load the bases. Matt Byrne reached a fielder's choice that saw Breen forced out at home followed by an Alex Beckett RBI walk. Vargas struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

The Gaels picked up another run in the top of the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead over the Bobcats. With one out in the inning, Palummo singled and Byrne walked to chase Vargas from the game. Reliever Matt Lorenzetti allowed a RBI single to Alex Beckett that scored Palummo from second base before getting two fly outs to end the inning.

Quinnipiac left runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings before tying the game in the bottom of the eighth. Batten singled and stole second base to lead off the inning followed by a Pescitelli walk. Iona brought in reliever Andrew Pucillo for starting pitcher Patrick Ryan when Iannotti sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Oestreicher flied out to shallow right field before Batten tied the game on a wild pitch. Quinnipiac left the bases loaded to end the inning before Iannotti won it for the Bobcats in the bottom of the ninth.

The Quinnipiac baseball team will hit the road for two mid-week games this week, opening up at Albany on Tuesday, Apr. 19 at 3 PM followed by the makeup of their postponed game at the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday, Apr. 21 at 3 PM.