FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Lauren Liseth picked up three of the Stags' five hits on the day as the Fairfield University softball team dropped a doubleheader to Iona College in the conference opener for both teams. Iona posted 3-1 and 4-3 victories in the two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games, surviving a furious come back by Fairfield in the second game.

The Gaels scored a pair of runs in the opening inning of the nightcap on a two-run homer by pitcher Alyssa Maiese. The runs looked as though they would provide enough for the right hander but her teammates added two more runs in the sixth to give Iona a 4-0 lead. Maiese tacked on another RBI in the two-run sixth, picking up her third hit in as many at-bats.

The pitcher carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but the Stags finally touched her for runs and hits in the their final at-bat. Mikayla Shumate reached on an error, which Liseth followed with a double down the left field line to place runners on second and third. Alli Wigand launched a fly ball to deep right field that was mishandled, allowing both runners to score and putting a runner on third base.

Rachel Beaudoin took Wigand's place on the base paths and eventually scored when Kim Kurata put a ball in the hole which beat out for an infield hit. The single also chased home Beaudoin with the Stags third run. But Fairfield could not get the tying run home as a line drive to first base ended the game.

In the first game, Iona scored two runs in the first inning behind an RBI single by Maiese. A second run came home when the single up the middle was misplayed in the outfield, pushing Iona in front 2-0. The Gaels made it 3-0 I n the sixth after Jodi Petersen singled through the left side of the infield to score Allison Hand.

Fairfield cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after Kristen Filicia started the inning with a walk. She took second base on a ground out and eventually scored on Wigand's fielder's choice.

The Stags will host the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday, April 3 in their next outing. The doubleheader begins at 2:30 pm.