WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and a Nate Witkowski single up the middle lifted the second-seeded Falcons to a 3-2 win over third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University in the first round of the Northeast-10 Baseball Championship Tuesday afternoon at DeFelice Field.  Bentley advances to Thursday's double elimination portion of the championship and improves to 27-20.  The Penmen, who fall to 33-17, are strong candidates to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, as SNHU was No. 2 in the region last week.  The NCAA baseball selection show is slated for Sunday evening (May 12).

Evan Mondor lined out to start the ninth for Bentley, before Logan Gillis worked a walk.  Gillis moved to second on a wild pitch, and the Falcons had two on as Kevin Korwek reached on an error.  Will Brennan lofted a single to shallow right field just out of the reach of SNHU second baseman Jamie Wollerman (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.), tying the game 2-2.

SNHU replaced starter Junior Mendez (Patchogue, N.Y.) with closer Alex Powers (Brewster, Mass.), but Powers gave a single up the middle up over the mound to Witkowski, allowing Gillis to come home with the winning run.

SNHU scored both of its runs in the top of the eighth.  Andy Lalli (Lakeville, Mass.) led off the inning with a line single to right that got over the head of Falcon second baseman Gillis.  At that point, Bentley elected to replace starter John Yohe with Lamarre Rey.  Jon Minucci (Madison, Conn.) greeted Rey with a double to the gap in left-center, giving the Penmen two in scoring position with no out.  Wollerman dropped a single just inside the right field line that allowed Minucci and pinch runner Kyle McGinnity (Northboro, Mass.) to score.  Wollerman moved to third as the wild throw home rolled into the third base dugout.

After Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with one away to give SNHU runners at the corners, Bentley escaped further damage, as Wollerman was erased at home on a groundout by Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.), and Pezzuto was out at second on a groundout by Al Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.).

The Penmen had a prime opportunity to extend the lead in the top of the ninth as Matt Boulter (Wrentham, Mass.) and Alejandro Diaz (Old Bridge, N.J.) hit back-to-back one out singles to give the guests runners at the corners.  However, Rey worked out of the jam as he got Minucci to fly out to shallow center. Diaz stole second and Bentley walked Wollerman, but Tyler Poisson (Rochester, N.H.) grounded out.

Bentley scored the game's first run with two away in the sixth.  Sean Keady reached with one out on a high chopper over the head of Riley Palmer (Goffstown, N.H.) at third, Keady's second infield hit on the day.  Keady moved to second on a balk by Mendez after it appeared that Mendez had picked him off at first.  After a flyout by Mondor, Gillis lined a 3-2 pitch to left for the game's first run.

Southern New Hampshire looked as if it would get on the board in the top of the first as O'Brien and Pezzuto led off the game with back-to-back singles, but a double play followed by a strikeout got Bentley out of the frame unscathed.

Rey upped his record to 4-4 with his two innings of relief despite allowing four hits.  Yohe went the first seven-plus innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out five.  Keady and Brennan each had two hits for Bentley.

Mendez took the loss (8-3), striking out 11 in his 8.1 innings of work, striking out 11 against one walk and scattering five hits.  All 10 players who got an at-bat for Southern New Hampshire recorded a hit as the Penmen outhit the Falcons 10-6.

Southern New Hampshire was making its first-ever appearance in the Northeast-10 Baseball Championship.