WALTHAM, Mass. -- A walk-off single by freshman third baseman Kelly Sanborn (Hopkinton/Hopkinton HS) scored junior left fielder Meghan Carter (Hudson/Hudson HS) and gave Bentley University a 3-2 win over Franklin Pierce University in the first half of a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader Monday afternoon at Bentley.

Franklin Pierce answered with three runs in the top of the first of game two and went on to earn a split, taking the nightcap by the count of 7-3.

The Bentley triumvirate of Sanborn, Carter, freshman shortstop Stephanie Kasson (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt HS) teamed for 17 hits in the doubleheader and were a combined 11-of-12 in game one.  Kasson enjoyed a 7-for-8 afternoon with three runs scored, and both Carter and Sanborn were 5-of-7 on the day.

With the game knotted at 2-2, Carter led off the bottom of the seventh in the opener with a triple to left. Following a walk and a ground out, Sanborn lined her fourth hit of the game to center, driving in Carter with the winning run.

Bentley got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when Kasson led off with a slap single to left, was sacrificed to second and scored on Carter's single up the middle.

After the Ravens evened the game in the top of the third, the Falcons countered later in the same inning, using much the same formula. Kasson beat out an infield single, was sacrificed to second by sophomore second baseman Erica Thibodeau (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker HS), and scored on a single to left by Carter.

Franklin Pierce came up with the tying run in the sixth when freshman Jamie Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) tripled to open the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton).

Junior Tara Fogarty (Chester, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic HS) scattered six hits to earn her ninth win of the season. A day after becoming the Falcons' career leader in strikeouts, she added five to her total in game one and fanned another three in the nightcap, giving her 235, including 86 this season.

The first three Franklin Pierce batters reached and scored in game two before Fogarty came in from the bullpen to keep it a three run game at the time. Bentley pulled to within one run at 4-3, but the Ravens tacked on some insurance with one in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

Sophomore catcher Jess Furtado (Taunton) had two hits and two RBI for Franklin Pierce (4-18, 2-8 NE-10), and both senior second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster) and junior left fielder Rachel Baxter (Cumberland, R.I.) scored twice.

For Bentley, Kasson was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a couple outstanding defensive plays at short, and Carter had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI in three plate appearances.

Bentley (10-10, 3-7 NE-10) will be back in action Tuesday, playing a 3 pm doubleheader at Stonehill College.

At Waltham

GAME 1: BENTLEY 3, FRANKLIN PIERCE 2

Fr. Pierce             001  001  0  --  2  6  1

Bentley                101  000  1  --  3  12  0

FP - Kayla Johnson and Jess Furtado; B - Tara Fogarty and Megan Blier; W - Fogarty (9-6); FP - Johnson (2-8); 3B - FP, Emily Griffin, Jamie Wiley; B, Meghan Carter.

GAME 2: FRANKLIN PIERCE 7, BENTLEY 3

Fr. Pierce (4-18, 2-8)        310  010  2  --  7  10  0

Bentley (10-10, 3-7)         201  000  0  --  3  9  1 

FP - Jess Wiley, Kayla Johnson (1) and Jamie Verner, Jess Furtado (4); B - Lindsey Theriault, Tara Fogarty (1) and Megan Blier; W - Johnson (3-8); L - Theriault (1-8); 3B - FP, Jayme Bilafer; B, Meghan Carter.