POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The Fairfield University softball team only allowed runs in two of the 14 innings played this afternoon. Unfortunately, Iona College scored four runs in both of those innings - four in the first inning of game one and four runs in the seventh inning of game two - which resulted in a sweep in the championship round of the 2011 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament. The two losses eliminated the Stags from the tournament and allowed the Gaels to win their second straight tournament title.

The top-seeded Stags drew the visitors' dugout in the first game, and produced only a two-out walk by Lauren Liseth in the top of the first. Iona came to bat in the bottom of the inning and went to work immediately. Deanne Algeo started the inning with a single up the middle. Jodi Peterson attempted a sacrifice bunt that found its way between pitcher Sarah Minice and first baseman Kristina Lingo resulting in a single and runners on first and second. Eileen McCann followed the two base hits with a home run that cleared the left-center field fence for a 3-0 Iona lead. Alyssa Maiese followed with a solo homer over the right-center field wall for a 4-0 lead.

Minice would come out for the second inning after the next three Stag hitters fanned in the top of the second. She retired the side in order as well to keep the score at 4-0 after two innings. Fairfield picked up a base runner in the third inning when Kimi Kurata walked and went to second on passed ball, but she was stranded at that base.

Rebecca Trott relieved Minice in the top of the third and put together an outstanding outing that resulted in just one hit over her four innings of work. Unfortunately, Fairfield could not muster any threats against Ion starter Sarah Jackson as the junior allowed only a fourth-inning single to Lingo and a sixth-inning base hit to Mikayla Shumate. Neither runner advanced past first base.

In the second game, Trott received the starting nod after her brilliant relief performance in game one. The freshman did not disappoint as she kept the Gaels scoreless for five-plus innings. In the interim, Fairfield broke through against Jackson in the third inning. Tiffany Lawson led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Kurata. Lawson went to third with a stolen base and came home on that same play after the catcher's throw hit her and rebounded into left field.

That run stood pat until the bottom of the sixth inning when Kristen Filicia led off with a triple down the right field line. After Shumate hit a one-hopper to third for the first out, Liseth followed with a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.

Minice, who retired the last two hitters of the Iona sixth inning to squash a first and second jam, came out for the seventh inning to try for her third save of the season. The senior fanned the first hitter of the inning, but issued a walk, a single, and another walk to load the bases with one out. An infield hit to the left side of the infield put Iona on the board at 2-1. Algeo followed with a softly hit grounder that found its way between first and second base that plated two more runs and gave the Gaels a 3-2 lead. The fourth run scored when a base runner was thrown out trying to steal second, but the runner at third raced home and beat the tag on the play.

Fairfield had some hope in the bottom of the seventh when Lawson picked up a walk with two outs, but the next batter struck out to end the game and the tournament.

Fairfield, the MAAC regular-season champion, finished the season with 31 wins under Head Coach Julie Brzezinski.