Chris Butler
Chris Butler

Butler Sac Fly Lifts Bentley Past Stonehill, 4-3

EASTON, Mass. – Junior catcher Christopher Butler (Danvers/BB&N) plated the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth and the Bentley University Falcons went on to record a 4-3 win over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division baseball Tuesday afternoon at Lou Gorman Field.

After being limited to three hits over the first eight innings, three of the first four Bentley batters in the ninth set the table with singles. Junior designated hitter Ryan Berardino (Sudbury/Lincoln-Sudbury Reg. HS) sent his to center, senior first baseman Brandon Grover (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill HS) followed with one to center and junior right fielder Gino Fordiani (Sudbury/Lincoln-Sudbury Reg. HS) also singled to center.

That brought up Butler, and the left-handed hitter delivered with a fly ball to left, deep enough for Berardino to score the Falcons' fourth run standing up

Junior right-hander and winning pitcher Will Rossiter (Granite Springs, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic HS) took care of business in the ninth, striking out the side with the last two caught looking. It was the second inning of relief for Rossiter, who had one walk and a strikeout in the eighth.

Rossiter and the two Bentley pitchers who preceded him to the mound, sophomore righties Evan Christopulos (Andover/Andover HS) and Jimmy Hodgson (Newton/Newton North HS), combined to limit Stonehill to just five hits while striking out ten. Christopulos fanned four while pitching the first four innings and Hodgson K'd two during his three innings of work.

Bentley, which won for the seventh time in its last 11 games, scored first with two runs in the top of the fourth. Berardino had an RBI double to right center and scored on Grover's fly ball in the same direction that was scored an error.

After Stonehill matched Bentley's two runs in the bottom of the fourth and took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, Bentley drew even with a run in the sixth inning. Junior center fielder Max Troiani (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon HS) led off with a triple to right and scored on a grounder by junior third baseman Jake Pierce (East Bridgewater/East Bridgewater HS).

Berardino was the only Falcon with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Senior right-hander Michael Young (Mashpee) turned in a complete game effort in defeat for the Skyhawks (12-15, 3-4 NE10, 1-4 Northeast).            

Bentley (7-14, 4-3 NE10, 4-3 NE10, 3-2 Northeast) will be home for its next nine, beginning with two doubleheaders this weekend, New Haven on Saturday and Southern Connecticut Sunday.