NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Fairfield University Baseball team dropped their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener, 4-3 to Iona on Saturday. The Stags out-hit Iona 9-5, which included three extra base hits, but could not overcome five walks and four errors on the afternoon.
 
Tim Zeng manufactured the first Fairfield run as he led off the game with a single through the left side. Zeng would steal second and score on Anthony Boselli's RBI single.
 
The lead was short-lived as the Gaels would answer with two runs in the bottom half of the first without the benefit of a hit. Iona got the first two runners on with back-to-back walks and both would advance into scoring position on a throwing error. Fran Kinsey plated the first run on a sacrifice fly and Iona would record their second run on a wild pitch.
 
The Gaels would score their next run in the third, once again without getting a hit. Stephen Furman led off the inning by being hit by a pitch, He would advance to second on a throwing error and score on back-to-back wild pitches. Despite trailing 3-1, the Stags allowed just one hit over the first three innings.
 
Fairfield got a run back in the fourth. Jack Gethings extended his hitting streak to 20-straight games with an infield single. Dan Ryan would double with one out to put runners in scoring position. Dylan Reynolds would bring the run home with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Stags tried to mount a rally in the ninth with Gethings starting the final frame with a double. Boselli would drive in his second run of the day with a single to right, putting the tying run on first with nobody out. The Gaels would get the next hitter to fly out to center before ending the game with a double play.
 
The first five Stags in the batting order accounted for eight of the teams' nine hits with Zeng, Gethings, and Boselli each picking up a pair.
 
Austin Pope surrendered just one earned run, three in total, while striking out seven in six innings.
 
The two teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon.