COLCHESTER, Vt. – Graduate students Mike Muir (Bridgewater, Mass./Xaverian HS) and Ryan O'Connor (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport HS) both homered and combined for eight RBI, five hits and four runs scored as Bentley University completed a three-game series at St. Michael's College with an 11-6 win in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division baseball Saturday afternoon at Doc Jacobs Field.

Muir, Bentley's center fielder, came within a double of the cycle during a 3-for-5 effort and finished with five RBI and three runs scored. O'Connor drove in three and finished 2-for-4. Muir, in his last eight games, has driven in 18 runs.

The win came after the Falcons dropped a 9-6 decision in the first half of the doubleheader and the first two games of the series.

Powered by Muir, Bentley jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two-and-a-half innings. In the first, he followed a triple by sophomore DH Nick Neshe (Waltham, Mass./Waltham HS) with a home run to right center.

The three-run Falcon third included two scoring on a triple down the right field line by Muir, who later scored on an O'Connor single.

After St. Michael's closed to within one with three in the bottom of the third, Bentley opened it up with four runs in the fourth. Neshe, Muir and senior second baseman Zachary Littman (Abington, Mass./Abington HS) had RBI singles and O'Connor drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

St. Michael's closed to within two after six, 9-7, but the Falcons picked up insurance with single runs in two of the last three innings. O'Connor homered in the seventh and Littman scored on an error in the ninth.

Bentley's 14 hits, all from the top six in the lineup, included three by Neshe and Muir, and two apiece from Samko, O'Connor, Littman and freshman right fielder Brandon Grover (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill HS).  Freshman Luke Dawson (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) earned the save, with four strikeouts and only one hit allowed in 3.1 innings.

Senior DH Alex Holt (Framingham, Mass.) led St. Michael's (5-25, 4-13 Northeast) with three hits and three RBI.

In the opener, Bentley pounded out 17 hits but fell by three after the Purple Knights scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to break a 6-6 tie. The Falcons rallied to tie the game three times during the game but each time, allowed St. Michael's to regain the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Bentley tied it for the last time in the eighth, taking advantage of St. Michael's fifth error of the contest. Samko led off with a single to left and moved to second on a two-out single by O'Connor.

Littman grounded to second. The second baseman made a diving stop to keep it in the infield, but eventually lost control of the ball, allowing Samko to score the tying run.

In their ensuing at bat, St. Michael's used a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with one out. A wild pitch enabled freshman first baseman Trevor Allen (Dennis, Mass.) to score the go-ahead run and sophomore third baseman Peter Bocchino (Saugus, Mass.) followed with a two-run homer.

Allen had a big game for the Purple Knights with three hits, three RBI and two runs scored. Freshman righty Drew Farris (Andover, Mass.) earned the win with 3.2 innings of one-run relief. He allowed seven hits but stranded five runners on base.

Samko, O'Connor, Littman and junior shortstop Justin Ashworth (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional HS) all had three hits for Bentley. Samko scored twice and Ashworth drive in two.

Bentley (14-23, 6-12 Northeast) will return to action Tuesday at Merrimack College (3:30 pm).