WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior right fielder Tom Nagy (Fairfield, Conn./Ludlowe HS) crushed a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh and senior center fielder Mike Muir (Bridgewater/Xaverian Bros. HS) was 4-for-4 with 2 RBI as Bentley University held off St. Michael's College, 5-4, in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division baseball Friday afternoon at DeFelice Field.

In the bottom of the seventh, grad student and designated hitter Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug HS) drew a two-out walk. Muir followed with a single to left, his fourth hit of the afternoon, setting the stage for Nagy, the number two home run leader in the conference.

Nagy lined the first pitch he saw over the left-center field fence, turning a 2-2 game into a 5-2 Falcon lead. The home run was his seventh of the season and 19th of his career.

It remained that way until the ninth, an inning that saw the Purple Knights (8-20. 2-11 NE-10 Northeast) load the bases with two hits and a walk. After Bentley senior righty Connor Root (Nashua, N.H./Nashua HS North) got his eighth strikeout of the game for out number two, freshman catcher Aiden Burton (Milford, Conn.) hit a bloop that fell in just behind the shortstop, allowing two runs to score.  With the potential tying run on second, Root got a grounder to short for the game's final out.

St. Michael's got on the scoreboard first, picking up two unearned runs in the fourth. With a runner on first due to an error, senior center fielder Nicky Elderton (Shelburne, Vt.) tripled to right center, bringing in the game's first run. Junior second baseman Matt Feeney (Portsmouth, N.H.) followed with a sacrifice fly, making it a 2-0 game.

An inning later, Bentley (6-15, 4-5 NE-10 Northeast) drew even. Sophomore second baseman Carl Farnham (Bangor, Maine/ Bangor HS) led off with a single up the middle, junior shortstop Zachary Littman (Abington/Abington HS) followed with a walk (the 21st straight game he's reached base) and they both advanced 90 feet on a Foley sacrifice. As Elderton did in the fourth, Muir tripled to right center, scoring both and making it a 2-2 game.

Root, who improved to 2-1, authored Bentley's first complete game of the season. He scattered seven hits and issued only one walk with his eight strikeouts the most by a Falcon pitcher this season.

For St. Michael's, junior righty Carl Echo (Shelburne, Vt.) went the distance, allowing eight hits and four walks while striking out six.

The two teams will be back at it tomorrow, playing a noon doubleheader at DeFelice Field to complete the three-game series.