NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (Interstat) — Will Taylor authored a masterful performance on the mound, and a single run in the sixth inning stood up as the Marist Red Foxes edged the Iona Gaels 1-0 in a taut Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball opener Friday at City Park.

In a game dominated by pitching, Taylor was untouchable for seven innings. The Marist starter did not allow a hit, walking two and striking out four. He faced the minimum through five innings, with his only blemish—a first-inning single by Iona’s Damian Rodriguez—erased by a double play. Taylor retired the final 13 batters he faced.

His counterpart, Iona’s Andrelys Payamps, was nearly as brilliant. Payamps matched Taylor’s seven-inning outing, surrendering just one run on four hits while striking out nine. He worked out of several jams, stranding runners in scoring position in the second and seventh innings.

The game’s only run came in the top of the sixth. Marist’s Luke Monico was hit by a pitch, was sacrificed to second by AJ Brotz, and scored on a sharp RBI single up the middle by center fielder TJ Baer. Baer, who finished 2 for 4, later stole second and advanced to third on an error but was stranded.

Iona’s best chance to score came in the eighth inning after Taylor exited. Reliever Andrew Fierro allowed back-to-back, one-out singles to Anthony Ciprian and Rodriguez, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Fierro escaped the threat by striking out Chase Stephenson and getting AJ Oden to fly out to deep left-center field.

Fierro worked a perfect ninth to secure the save, sealing the combined two-hit shutout. Iona managed only five hits total, with Rodriguez collecting three of them.

The victory improved Marist’s record to 6-14 overall and 1-0 in the MAAC. Iona fell to 5-10 and 0-1 in conference play. The teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series Saturday and Sunday at City Park.

The pitchers’ duel defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 5-4 Marist victory, with its ELO system giving the Red Foxes a 67.1% probability to win. Instead, the game was decided by the narrowest of margins, hinging on Taylor’s dominance and one timely hit from Baer.