MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College baseball team was shut down by the Falcons from Bentley University on Monday, dropping both ends of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Sullivan Park.

After a seven-inning 10-7 loss, the Falcons (5-3, 5-3 NE10) picked up the doubleheader sweep with a 9-4 nine-inning victory over the Hawks, who fall to 5-7 overall and to 1-5 in league play. The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Apr. 7 in a 6 p.m. non-conference road contest at Franklin Pierce.

Bentley jumped out to an 8-0 lead in game one and never looked back, punishing the Saint Anselm pitchers with 14 hits. The Falcons got off to a hot start in game two as well, scoring the game's first five runs on the way to two convincing victories.

The Falcons eased their way to two wins with the help of nine Saint Anselm wild pitches, two hit batters, 15 walks and six Hawks miscues in the field. While Saint Anselm hit a robust .295 (18-for-61) on the afternoon, Bentley had 21 hits in 67 at-bats (.313) and committed only one fielding error.

Junior Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) finished up the four-game series against the Falcons by leading the team with seven hits in 14 at-bats (.500), smacking two doubles and drawing three walks.

GAME ONE – Bentley 10, Saint Anselm 7

Hawks starter Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) quickly struck out the first two batters of the afternoon, but got into some trouble with a walk and an infield hit. With two men on, the Bentley first baseman hit a ball to first base, but the throw to the pitcher covering sailed to the backstop. From there, four consecutive singles and a walk yielded four runs for Bentley.

Bentley tacked on four more runs in the top of the second. With one out, a fielder's choice by Bentley drove in another run and a three-run home run by Jackson Walonis, the first of his young career, put up three more runs to create an 8-0 lead for the visitors.

Saint Anselm did well to respond with four runs of its own in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Brady Doran (Stony Brook, N.Y.) had an RBI single to left field, driving in senior Ben Horsfall (Westborough, Mass.), who reached on a one-out walk earlier in the inning. Another Hawks run came around on a wild pitch, and two more runs scored on a two-RBI single by junior Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.).

The very next half-inning, Bentley plated two more runs to reach 10 for the game. In total, the Falcons scampered across home plate on a wild pitch and an RBI single through the left side of the infield. The Hawks would settle down on the mound, limiting Bentley without another run throughout the rest of the game, but the early damage had been done.

The Hawks scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Maurice led off with an infield hit and was followed by a walk, an RBI double to left-center by sophomore Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) and yet another walk. Following a Bentley pitching change, Horsfall drove in another run with a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly by junior Dan Baker (Reading, Mass.) cut the Bentley lead to 10-7.

Pinch hitter Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.) logged a hit up the middle in his first at-bat of the 2021 season, putting runners on first and second and the tying run at the plate. After a lengthy at-bat, Bentley was able to close out the win with a pop-up to third base.

Bedder drew the loss, conceding four earned runs in just two innings of work. Sophomore Travis MacMurdo (Tewksbury, Mass.) gave up two earned runs in two innings before departing in favor of sophomore Avery Mosseau. The product of nearby Bedford, N.H. threw three scoreless innings, striking out one.

Maurice led the offense with a 2-for-2 performance, driving in a team-best two runs and collecting two walks. Each member of the Saint Anselm starting lineup reached base at least once. Walonis finished with a game-high five runs batted in for Bentley.

GAME TWO – Bentley 9, Saint Anselm 4

Saint Anselm allowed the game's first two batters to reach on fielding errors, and Bentley took full advantage. With one out in the inning, an RBI single up the middle plated one run. The Hawks outfield helped minimize the damage as junior Mike Pierro (North Andover, Mass.) gunned a would-be run scorer out at home plate to keep it a one-run affair.

Despite putting two runners on in the home half of the first, the Falcons escaped without conceding a run. The very next half inning, Bentley scored another two runs after another Hawks error led off the inning. With the bases loaded, a two-run double down the left field line tacked on more runs for the Falcons, who led at this point by a 3-0 score.

Stranding two additional runners on base in the bottom of the second, Saint Anselm gave up two more runs in the top of the third to create a 5-0 lead for Bentley. Back-to-back walks led off the inning and the fourth run of the game came around to score on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly by Bentley plated the fifth run.

Saint Anselm cut into the Bentley lead in the bottom of the fourth, using a single up the middle by Chris Schworer (Medfield, Mass.) to drive in Borrelli, whose lead-off double helped to jumpstart a rally. Just two innings later, Maurice came around to score on a wild pitch and Pierro singled up the middle to score the Hawks' third run of the game.

The Hawks pitchers kept the Bentley lead at 5-3, but the game was put out of reach with a four-run seventh inning for Bentley. In a tough inning for the Hawks, the lead-off batter for Bentley was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI single, a run came around to score on a fielding error, another Bentley baserunner scored on a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly drove in the fourth run of the inning.

With one out in the home half of the ninth inning, Collins reached on a bunt single. He later scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Borrelli with two outs. In total, Saint Anselm left 11 men on base in the nine-inning second game.

Junior David Hunter (Middleton, Mass.) started for Saint Anselm. He allowed just five hits in four innings, but gave up four walks and threw three wild pitches. Reliever Andy Grygorcewicz (Northampton, Mass.) fanned two batters but allowed three walks and four total runs. The tandem of Will Hunter (Middleton, Mass.) and Mark Monahan (Quincy, Mass.) pitched three scoreless innings of relief.

Pierro led Saint Anselm with three hits, upping his season average to .579 after collecting 11 hits in 19 at-bats so far this season. He has a hit in each of his six games this season, the longest active streak on the Hawks. Joe Bushell and Liam Sears each had two hits for Bentley, pacing the offense for the victors.