NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Marist Red Foxes erupted for eight runs in a relentless first inning and rode a dominant start from Steven Mazza to a 10-3 victory over the Iona Gaels in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball game Sunday evening at City Park.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, saw Marist (7-15, 2-1 MAAC) salvage the final game of the three-game series after dropping the previous two contests. Iona fell to 6-11 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

The most decisive phase of the game was its outset, as Marist sent 12 batters to the plate in a marathon top of the first inning against Iona starter Trinidad, who failed to record an out. The Red Foxes strung together six consecutive hits to begin the frame, including an RBI double by Lawrence Co, a two-run single by Lincoln Nat and a bases-clearing triple by Luke Monico that capped the eight-run outburst. Monico finished with four RBIs.

Facing an immediate and substantial deficit, Iona’s bullpen provided remarkable stability. Following the pitching change to Tyler Lender, a procession of Gaels relievers combined for 8 2/3 innings of shutout, one-hit baseball until Marist added two insurance runs in the ninth. Daniel Castillo, Danny Onorato, Kyle Hard and Jack Puvogel were particularly effective, with Castillo, Onorato and Puvogel not allowing a hit.

Their efforts were matched by Marist’s Steven Mazza, who delivered the top performance of the day. The right-hander silenced the Gaels over five innings, allowing no hits and no earned runs while striking out two. He faced minimal trouble, with Iona’s only run against him coming in the fifth on an error, a stolen base, a wild pitch and an RBI groundout. Mazza’s outing marked a significant improvement over his previous start against Saint Peter’s.

Iona’s offense, which out-hit Marist 12-10, was led by Damian Rodriguez, who went 3 for 5 with two doubles. The Gaels consistently put runners on base but struggled to capitalize, stranding 10. They scored single runs in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings, with Josiah Zollo driving in the final run with a sacrifice fly.

Marist relievers Connor Southwell and Jack Sullivan preserved the lead with three scoreless innings of their own before Iona tacked on two runs in the ninth against Bob LeFerve.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which gave Marist a 66.4% chance to win but had simulated a closer 6-3 final score.

Marist next hosts Saint John’s on Wednesday before a MAAC series against Siena begins Friday. Iona welcomes Yale on Wednesday before traveling to Niagara for a conference series starting Friday.