WALTHAM, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team was swept at the hands of Bentley University in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, dropping game one 9-5 before falling in the nightcap 13-0. The Hawks drop to 8-27 overall, 3-15 in the NE-10, and 3-11 in the NE-10 Northeast Division, while Bentley improves to 12-21, 7-11 NE-10, and 4-10 NE-10 NE.
Bentley 9, Saint Anselm 5 | Box Score
In game one, Aaron Crandall (Billerica, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored to lead the offense. Matthew Flynn (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) also went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Ken Morrisino (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Paul Trabucco (Salem, N.H.) and Jon McQuarrie (Salem, N.H.) each registered a hit.
Tom Hudon (Merrimack, N.H.) suffered the setback pitching 4.0 innings and giving up 10 hits and seven runs (four earned) while striking out a pair. Zane Byrne (Franklin, Mass.) went three innings and gave up three hits and an earned run, with Clayton Welch (Manchester, N.H.) getting in an inning of work and Jonathan Dunn (Nashua, N.H.) giving up one run on one hit in one inning.
Bentley was led by Nick Neshe's 5-for-5 day with two RBI and two runs scored. Mike Samko, Mike Muir, Zachary Littman, and Bryan Rocha had two hits apiece for the Falcons. Bill Sullivan picked up the win by throwing seven innings and giving up eight hits and five runs while walking four and striking out five.
The Falcons struck first in the bottom of the first as Littman drove in a pair with a two-run single to center. Saint Anselm answered back in the top of the second as Crandall stroked a two-run double to left-center that plated Flynn and McQuarrie to make it a 2-2 game. Paul Trabucco followed by driving in Morrisino as he beat the throw to the plate to put the Hawks on top 3-2.
Bentley pulled ahead with back-to-back RBI hits from Samko and Neshe in the bottom of the second and they took a 7-3 lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth as Samko and Neshe struck again with RBI hits and Mike Muir drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Trailing 8-3, Flynn led off the seventh inning with a double and he later scored on an RBI triple by Crandall to cut the deficit in half. Crandall later scored on a wild pitch to make it an 8-5 game, and Trabucco would be stranded at third to end the inning. The Hawks made some noise in the bottom of the ninth as Flynn and Crandall both got on base with singles, but Saint Anselm could not drive them in as the game ended with the Falcons on top 9-5.
Bentley 13, Saint Anselm 0 | Box Score
In game two, Bentley scored 13 runs and had 19 hits to pick up the victory. Mike Samko went 5-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Mike Muir and Ryan O'Connor each drove in three runs apiece.
Colin Rios (Braintree, Mass.) and Jon McQuarrie each went 1-for-2 at the plate, while John Marculitis (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Matthew Flynn also picked up hits. Ken Morrisino worked a walk and stole a base for the Hawks.
Joseph Levasseur (Rowley, Mass.) lasted 4.2 innings and gave up eight runs on 15 hits while striking out four. Adam Krol (Sunderland, Mass.) pitched an inning and gave up one hit and one run, while Clayton Welch went 0.2 of an inning and gave up two hits and four earned runs. Andy Williams (Merrimack, N.H.) pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed one hit with a pair of strikeouts.
The Hawks put runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth following a sacrifice bunt from Tyler McKeon (Rutland, Mass.), but came away empty handed as the Bentley starter Paul Frisoli got two outs to end the inning.
Rios led off the seventh with a single down the right field line and Connor Parent (Katy, Texas) followed with a walk, but Rios was picked off of second base and Frisoli worked out of another jam to keep the Hawks off the board.
Saint Anselm returns to action on Monday afternoon when they travel to the University of New Haven for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with the Chargers.
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