WALTHAM, MASS. – The Saint Anselm baseball team took on the Falcons of Bentley University this afternoon in a non-conference game at DeFelice Field.  The Hawks tied the game in the fifth inning, but the Falcons scored two runs in each of the next three innings to take a 10-4 victory and improve their series record to 4-1 against the Hawks this season.  The win lifts the Falcons to 14-17 (8-6 NE-10), while the Hawks slip to 8-20 (6-9 NE-10).

Northeast-10 Player of the Week Matt Sucharewicz (Peabody, Mass.) got the Hawks started with a leadoff double to right field in the top of the second.  James Garrigan (Plymouth, Mass.) grounded out to the right side, advancing Sucharewicz to third, and Daniel DeCoste (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked up the first RBI of the game with a single up the middle, giving the Hawks an early 1-0 lead.

Hawk starter Matt Stone (West Roxbury, Mass.) got the first two batters out in the bottom of the second before walking Mike DeCoste for the first Falcon base-runner of the game.  DeCoste stole second, and Lamarre Rey then hit a fly ball to left field.  David Giarrusso (Cranston, R.I.) was unable to hang onto the ball in left, allowing DeCoste to score and tie the game at one.

Stone started the bottom of the fourth with two quick outs once again, but Chris Hardy kept the inning alive with a single up the middle.  Mike DeCoste followed him with an RBI double to left center, sending Hardy across the plate for the go-ahead run.  Lamarre Rey got on base and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Richie Manzi (Plymouth, N.H.), which allowed DeCoste to score another unearned run.  Sam Koonce kept the inning going with an RBI double to left center, before Stone got Vinnie Eruzione to line out for the final out of the inning.  The Falcons put up three runs in the inning to pull ahead 4-1.

The Hawks were determined to make a comeback in the top of the fifth, as Eric Baca (Franklin, N.H.) led off with a walk and stole second.  David Giarrusso walked, and Richie Manzi loaded the bases with a perfectly-placed bunt single down the third-base line.    Steven Panza (Watertown, Mass.) struck out through full count in an eight-pitch at-bat, and TJ Murphy (Reading, Mass.) drove in Baca on a sacrifice fly to center.  Robert Kelly (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) then picked up a two-out RBI with a single to center, and Sucharewicz added another run with an RBI single through the left side.  And just like that, the game was tied 4-4.

Brett Damato drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth and stole second base.  Hardy tripled to right field, putting the Falcons back on top, and DeCoste followed Hardy with an RBI single to left to make it 6-4 Falcons.

James Farrington (West Milford, N.J.) relieved Matt Stone in the bottom of the seventh, and struggled to get going.  He walked the leadoff batter and then allowed a hit to Charlie Pagliarulo to make it first and third.  Pagliarulo stole second and Farrington walked James Roche to load the bases with no outs.  Damato hit a long fly ball to center field to send Ross Curley across the plate, and Hardy then picked up another RBI with a single to center.

Eric Simm (Salem, N.H.) came in to pitch the eighth inning for the Hawks, but after getting Koonce to ground out, he allowed an infield single to Eruzione, who then stole second.  Ross Curley singled to left center, scoring Eruzione, and advanced to second on a wild pitch during the next at-bat.  Pagliarulo then hit an RBI single to make it 10-4 Falcons.

The Hawks, who had not had a hit since the fifth inning, had their work cut out for them in the top of the ninth. Joshua Lafond (Goffstown, N.H.) led off with a pinch-hit single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  However, JP Ashline then retired the next three batters in order to secure the Falcons a 10-4 victory.

Matt Sucharewicz's hot bat kept going today, as he went 2-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI.  Hawk starter Matt Stone allowed six runs, three earned, on five hits and four walks in the first six innings.  James Farrington ceded two runs on two hits and two walks in the seventh inning, and Eric Simm gave up the final two runs on four hits in the bottom of the eighth. 

Blaine McLean picked up his third win of the season for the Falcons, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in six innings.  JP Ashline then earned a three-inning save, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven.

The Hawks return home on Wednesday, April 14, to host the Merrimack Warriors in a Northeast-10 Conference game at Sullivan Park beginning at 3:30 pm.