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Written by: Louis Sherman
When it comes to sports here on campus, one thing is certain: Bentley Baseball always keeps you entertained. Whether it’s a 13-inning thriller or a 10-4 explosion, it always seems to be a fun game to watch.
On April 8, Bentley played one of their hardest-fought games of the season. They came back from a 1-0 deficit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat division sports rival Stonehill, 2-1, in 13 innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, Bentley knew they needed to come up with something special in order to win. With junior right fielder James Roche in scoring position, junior left fielder Chris Hardy singled to right to break up the shutout by Stonehill.
In the bottom of the 13th, Bentley decided to end the battle when senior center fielder Brett Damato came up to the plate. After senior Charlie Pagliarulo singled and stole second, Damato came up with a clutch walk-off single to left.
Freshman right-handed pitcher John Yohe had a stellar outing for Bentley in a pitcher’s duel. Yohe struck out 11 Stonehill batters in 11 innings. He earned just one run without giving up a walk.
Senior pitcher Dean Sandonato came in for the last two innings and allowed just one hit in relief of Yohe. Sandonato, with the effort, picked up his third victory of the season.
The 13th inning thriller came just two days after a 10th-inning heartbreak against the same Stonehill squad.
Bentley had led for most of the game before a seventh inning surge from Stonehill, who scored four runs and got back into an important conference game. Stonehill came out on top with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning, with a score of 10-9.
However, Bentley’s offense was nothing short of outstanding. The Falcons scattered 18 hits through the 10 innings. Sophomore shortstop Vinnie Eruzione – yes, he’s related to Mike – produced four hits, all singles in the game.
Damato finished the day with three singles, and freshman first baseman Lamarre Rey had two doubles. Junior third baseman Ross Curley, Pagliarulo, and junior DH Chris Hardy each had two hits and two RBI for the Falcons.
The two RBI helped Pagliarulo reach a milestone in this game. He surpassed the 100 RBI barrier in just his junior season, an tremendous achievement in an outstanding, three-hour long game.
This past Monday, April 12, Bentley played a non-conference game against Saint Anselm College. Hardy, along with senior catcher Mike DeCoste, shined brightly on this day.
Hardy had three hits, including a triple, with two RBI and two runs scored in the 10-4 rout. DeCoste had an RBI double and an RBI single, also scoring two runs for Bentley.
Bentley scored three two-out runs in the fourth inning to start expanding the gap. Freshman second baseman Sam Koonce had an RBI double to conclude the scoring in the inning.
Bentley scored two runs in the seventh and two additional insurance runs in the eighth to build the lead to 6.
Curley and Pagliarulo added RBI singles in the eighth to finish off Saint Anselm, and improve Bentley’s record to 14-17 overall with an 8-6 conference mark.
On Tuesday, Bentley continued their success by defeating UMass-Lowell, a 19-16 club, in Lowell, 6-3. Just two games after Pagliarulo reached 100 RBI, junior James Roche equaled that feat. Roche, playing DH on the day, knocked in three runs, including two in a decisive ninth inning.
The teams came into the ninth in a 2-2 tie game. Lamarre Rey had an RBI single to start the scoring in the ninth when he plated sophomore left fielder Mark Lane. Pagliarulo knocked in another later in the inning, and Roche’s 2-RBI blow gave Bentley a nice cushion for the bottom half of the inning.
UMass-Lowell threatened in the ninth, but they were only able to pick up one run, which was not enough on this day.
Sophomore Matt Sherman – no relation – made his first career start in the game, going four scoreless innings of two-hit ball. Freshman Jeff Croteau came in for the next four, allowing just two runs on a home run in the eighth, and Sandonato closed the door in the ninth.
Upcoming games for Bentley include Conference games against Assumption and a doubleheader versus American International.
They also play Saint Anselm again before a three-game stretch against conference foe Merrimack, beginning on April 20.
The Northeast-10 playoffs begin on May 6, so Bentley only has three weeks to prove they have what it takes to be crowned Conference champions. Get psyched, get pumped. Baseball is back and in full swing.
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