WALTHAM, Mass. – Staked to leads of 7-2 and 12-10, the Saint Anselm College baseball team could not find its way to a postseason victory on Tuesday, falling to regionally-ranked Bentley University by a 15-13 margin in the Northeast-10 Conference First Round.
Pounding out 16 hits and scoring 13 runs as an offense, Saint Anselm pitchers combined to allow 14 earned runs while issuing 11 walks in the team's first NE10 postseason appearance since 2012. The Hawks season comes to a close with a 10-19 record while Bentley, ranked seventh in the East Region by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association, advances with a 17-10 overall record.
Sophomore Brady Doran (Stony Brook, N.Y.) stroked a grand slam in today's game, giving Saint Anselm 40 home runs in just 29 games this season, the second-most in a single season all-time. From 2015-20, the Hawks homered just 39 times across a span of 216 games. The team's .467 slugging and .387 on-base percentages on the year rank second all-time in single-season annals.
With nine home runs on the season, Doran cracked the program's single-season top-10 list, tying for seventh all-time. Junior Kyle Maurice (Exeter, N.H.) finished with 10 home runs, becoming just the second duo in team history to hit nine or more home runs in a single campaign. Eric Kraut '94 and T.J. Ebol '94 hit nine home runs apiece in 1994.
The top four batters in the Bentley order combined to go 13-for-19 while driving in eight of the team's 15 runs. Those four student-athletes also combined to draw six walks, keeping men on base for the rest of the lineup. Scoring 15 runs on the day, the Falcons left a stunning 17 men on base and struck out just five times.
Saint Anselm was up to the task on offense, scoring seven runs in the top of the second and posting five additional runs in the top of the sixth. The Hawks pounded out 16 hits on the day and featured six extra-base hits, but struck out a season-high 17 times on the afternoon. In the field, Saint Anselm matched season-high with four errors, including three that saw runs cross the plate for Bentley at the same time.
Bentley posted two runs to open the game in the bottom of the first as a four-pitch walk issued by Hawks starter Will Conaton (Windham, N.H.) came around to score on an RBI double by Ryan Berardino. Yet another run came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Liam Sears, sending the Hawks into an early hole.
Saint Anselm threw up seven runs in the next half-inning, tallying six hits after Bentley pitcher Paul Frisoli threw nine consecutive balls to open the inning. Mike Borrelli (Salisbury, Mass.) and Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.) had RBI singles, tying the game at two, before a bases-loaded walk by Matt Collins (Beverly, Mass.) put Saint Anselm ahead by a 3-2 score.
The big swing in the inning came off the bat of Doran, whose grand slam to right field propelled the Hawks to a 7-2 advantage with nobody out in the inning. Frisoli settled down, however, giving up two more hits in the inning but getting a strikeout and a double play to dance around trouble.
Conaton was able to settle down by getting two quick outs in the next half inning, but the next five batters reached base for Bentley and three runs scored in the process. The inning finally ended with a fielder's choice, but the Falcons cut the Hawks lead to 7-5.
Saint Anselm stranded three baserunners in the third and fourth innings and Bentley took full advantage, building an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Hawks gave up three runs, in large part due to two four-pitch walks, a passed ball, a wild pitch and two run-producing hits, all coming with one out in the inning.
Bentley reached double-digit runs in the bottom of the fifth, creating a 10-7 lead off of new Hawks starter Ryan Schworer (Medfield, Mass.). With two outs in the inning, the next four batters reached, two of them after being struck by a pitch. Schworer fanned the final batter of the inning with the bases loaded, keeping the game within reach for the offense.
Saint Anselm re-captured the lead in the top of the sixth, using four hits and a Bentley miscue to build a 12-10 advantage. Borrelli added another RBI single and junior Dan Baker (Reading, Mass.) rapped a two-run double to left field before Collins matched the feat, stroking a two-bagger to left center that plated two additional runs.
The Saint Anselm lead was short-lived. After getting the quick first out in the bottom of the sixth, Schworer gave up a double, the ensuing stolen base, and walked another batter to put runners on the corners. A failed pick-off attempt by Schworer was fired down the right field line, scoring the first run. An RBI triple and an RBI single to center field put Bentley ahead, 13-12.
Borrelli drove in yet another run for Saint Anselm in the top of the seventh, drawing the score even at 13 after driving in Maurice, who walked and stole second base to get into scoring position. The Hawks left two runners on base following the Borrelli double as Bentley got a strikeout and a line-drive out to center field.
Two runs scored off of Hawks reliever Andy Grygorcewicz (Northampton, Mass.), who attempted to keep the game tied at 13 in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, three of the next four batters reached base, including three via a walk. Berardino's bases-loaded walk pushed Bentley into the lead for good, creating a 14-13 score.
A fielding miscue in the bottom of the eighth added insurance for Bentley following a lead-off double. A ground ball was hit to second base and the ball was fired over the head of the Saint Anselm first baseman, scoring the 15th run of the game for Bentley and the 28th overall run scored by both teams combined.
Two men were on base for Saint Anselm in the top of the ninth inning, but Bentley was able to strike out two Hawks batters in the frame to win the program's first NE10 postseason game since 2013.
Conaton finished with three strikeouts across four innings of work, giving up nine hits and five walks. Schworer came on in relief, conceding six hits and three walks. Grygorcewicz drew the loss, giving up three walks and a hit, before junior Taylor French (Goffstown, N.H.) came on for the final one-and-two-thirds innings.
Bentley pitchers game up 16 hits across nine innings, but Zach Zdimal came away with the victory despite giving up a run in one inning of work. Jared Brooks locked down the save, throwing two scoreless innings down the stretch to preserve the narrow victory.
Berardino, who is now batting .500 on the season (45-for-90) across 26 games, had four hits in as many at-bats, drew two walks, and drove in five runs to lead the team.
