WALTHAM, Mass. – Led by the stellar pitching of senior
Matthew Michel (Haverhill, Mass.) in game one and a three-hit, three RBI game two at the plate for senior
Zack Clough (Newbury, Mass.), the Saint Anselm College baseball picked up two wins over Bentley University on Saturday afternoon by final scores of 6-0 and 7-6.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm concludes the weekend series at Bentley with a single game on Sunday, April 28th at 12:00 p.m. from Waltham, Mass.
Game 1 Score: Saint Anselm 6, Bentley 0 (9 innings)
Win: M. Michel (2-5)
Loss: M. Tyman (2-4)
Records: Saint Anselm 12-26 (6-16 NE10); Bentley 24-16 (10-10)
Location: Waltham, Mass. (Robert DeFelice Baseball Field)
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Attendance: 176
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1):
- After grounding out to start the game, Saint Anselm saw two straight batters walk. Freshman Mavrick Bourdeau (Billerica, Mass.) also singled to load the bases and senior Aidan Dow (Lynn, Mass.) then drove in a run with an RBI single to put the Hawks ahead, 1-0.
- With two outs in the top of the first, sophomore Brenden Harris (Altamont, N.Y.) ripped a two-run double. Dow was thrown out at home, but Saint Anselm still increased its lead to 3-0.
- After allowing a leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning, Michel got out of the inning with three quick outs including a strikeout to end the frame.
- With runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the second, freshman Brendan Gonzalez (Mechanicville, N.Y.) brought another Saint Anselm run across the plate with an RBI groundout to make it a 4-0 game.
- Michel continued to cook on the mound for the Hawks, striking out four batters over the next four innings including a one-two-three bottom of the fourth and fifth.
- Freshman Cooper Hagen (Grand Rapids, Mich.) replaced Michel at the beginning of the seventh inning. He allowed two singles during that frame, but a lineout was recorded for the third out to get the first-year pitcher out of trouble.
- Hagen also got through the bottom half of the eighth unscathed and in the top of the ninth, Saint Anselm scored two more runs. Bourdeau hit an RBI double to right-center, which scored one and advanced another to third. Dow then hit a sacrifice fly that made it 6-0 going into the bottom of the ninth inning.
- Junior closer Marko Gibbons (Delmar, N.Y.) toed the rubber for the Hawks for the final frame. The junior struck out a pair including the final batter to give Saint Anselm the 6-0 win in game one.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (Game 1):
- Saint Anselm had six runs on 10 hits and left eight runners on base. Bentley did not score, but had six hits in the game and left 12 runners aboard. The Hawks committed two errors, while the Falcons did not commit any.
- All three Hawks extra base hits were doubles. The Falcons did not have any extra base hits. Saint Anselm recorded two stolen bases in the win.
- Bourdeau led the way for Saint Anselm with a 3-for-5 game at the plate. The freshman scored a run and had an RBI. Dow went 2-for-4 and had two RBIs, while Clough also had a two-hit game.
- Michel pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while striking out six batters on 94 pitches. Hagen lasted two full innings and also allowed three hits while not allowing a run and striking out two. Gibbons pitched the final inning and recorded a pair of strikeouts.
Game 2 Score: Saint Anselm 7, Bentley 6 (9 innings)
Win: D. Vaughan (2-6)
Loss: S. Hardiman (3-4)
Save: M. Gibbons (5)
Records: Saint Anselm 13-26 (7-16 NE10); Bentley 24-17 (10-11)
Location: Waltham, Mass. (Robert DeFelice Baseball Field)
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Attendance: 127
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2):
- Saint Anselm got off to another strong start by scoring in the top of the first inning. Bourdeau drove in Gonzalez with an RBI single up the middle that made it 1-0.
- Hawks senior starting pitcher Dallas Vaughan (Haverhill, Mass.) threw a one-two-three bottom of the first. Bentley loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the second, but Vaughan got out of trouble with a strikeout followed by a groundout to keep his team in the lead.
- The Falcons got on the board in the bottom of the third. After moving runners over to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, one run scored on a wild pitch and then another on a throwing error, giving Bentley a 2-1 advantage.
- Bentley's lead was short-lived, as Saint Anselm produced a four-run top of the fourth inning to go back in front. With runners on the corners and one out, Clough ripped a two-run double to left-center to make it 3-2. Clough later scored on a wild pitch and still with one out, senior Nolan Elmore (Brentwood, N.H.) brought another in with a sacrifice fly that made it 5-2, Hawks.
- Eddy Beauregard led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to trim the deficit back down to two runs for the Falcons, who then put runners on second and third with nobody out. However, Vaughan retired the next three batters to get out of the jam.
- The Hawks added another run in the top of the sixth inning. Clough led off with a double and came around to score courtesy of a two-out double by Bourdeau, which increased Saint Anselm's lead back up to three runs.
- Vaughan was still on the mound for Saint Anselm in the bottom of the sixth. He got two quick outs, but Bentley loaded the bases. Vaughan ended his day with a massive strikeout to end the inning with the Hawks still in front by three.
- Clough came through once again at the plate for Saint Anselm in the top of the seventh with an RBI single that made it a 7-3 Hawks advantage.
- The Falcons again loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but junior pitcher Adam Betty (Lowell, Mass.) forced a pop out to end the inning with Bentley only getting one run back.
- In the bottom of the eighth, Bentley put runners on second and third with nobody out after a single and a double. A sacrifice fly scored one and an RBI groundout scored another, which made it a 7-6 game going into the final frame.
- Saint Anselm got two runners on base in the top of the ninth, but could not get a much-needed insurance run.
- Gibbons started the bottom of the ninth on the mound for the Hawks with a one-run lead. The Falcons put the tying runner on base, who later advanced to third with two outs, but Gibbons struck out the game's final batter to ensure the game two win and doubleheader sweep for Saint Anselm.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (Game 2):
- Saint Anselm had seven runs on 10 hits and left 14 runners on base. Bentley had six runs on 13 hits and also left 14 runners on base. The Falcons committed three errors, while the Hawks had just one.
- Saint Anselm had three extra base hits, all of which were doubles. Bentley had two extra base hits on one double and one home run. Both teams stole one base.
- Clough had a big game offensively for the Hawks, going 3-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Bourdeau went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk. Freshman Austin Brune (Billerica, Mass.) walked four times out of the nine hole for Saint Anselm.
- On the mound, Vaughan went six full innings and allowed two earned runs on nine hits while striking out four after 91 pitches, enough to earn his second win of the season. Freshman Matt Bianculli Walpole, Mass.) tossed two thirds of an inning in relief and gave up one earned run, two hits, and two walks but struckout one.
- Betty went 1.1 innings and allowed two hits and two earned runs. Gibbons tossed the final frame for the Hawks and did not allow a hit while striking out the final batter to earn his fifth save of the spring.
- These two games were the 137th and 138th games between these two programs in a series that dates back to 1981. Saint Anselm improves to 48-89-1 all-time against Bentley.
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