WALTHAM, Mass. -- Freshman designated player Chelsea Tamuk (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Earl L. Vandermeulen HS) delivered a bases-loaded two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie and give Bentley University a 5-4 win over UMass-Lowell in the first half of a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Bentley.

UMass-Lowell (22-18, 8-10 NE-10) came back to take the nightcap by a count of 11-1.

Freshman center fielder Jackie Gauthier (Braintree/Braintree HS) led off the last of the seventh by reaching on an error. The 13th sacrifice bunt of the season by sophomore second baseman Erica Thibodeau (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker HS) moved her to second, and junior left fielder Meghan Carter (Hudson/Hudson HS) gave Bentley runners on the corners with a single to left.

A two-out walk to sophomore shortstop Stephanie Kasson (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt HS) loaded the bases, and Tamuk followed with the game-winning hit.

Bentley overcame a 3-0 deficit with two runs in the fourth to close to within one and two more in the fifth to tie, after the River Hawks had picked up a single run in the top half of the inning.

Winning pitcher and junior Tara Fogarty (Chester, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic HS) drove in both fourth-inning runs with a single to center. Gauthier walked and later scored on a throwing error in the fifth, and Carter singled home Thibodeau with the tying run.              

The win was the tenth of the season for Fogarty, who walked an uncharacteristic five but struck out six to become only the second pitcher in the program's history to amass over 100 strikeouts in a season.

In game two, UMass-Lowell erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth after entering the inning with a slim 1-0 lead. Senior first baseman Heather Ross (Waltham) was involved in half of the six as she singled in two and later scored.

The River Hawks finished the nightcap with 14 hits, including a three-run homer in the seventh by junior catcher Lindsi Panarelli (Shrewsbury). Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit for Lowell.

Tamuk spoiled the shutout bid of junior Elyssa Boris (Gardner), who won her conference-leading 15th game of the season. She had an RBI double in the seventh, playing Kasson who had reached on an error.

Carter had two more hits for Bentley, completing a 4-for-7 afternoon.

Bentley (11-19, 4-16 NE-10) will be back at home on Friday for a 3 pm doubleheader against Pace University.

At Waltham 

GAME 1: BENTLEY 5, UMASS-LOWELL 4

UMass-Lowell    012  010  0  --  4  8  3

Bentley                000  220  1  --  5  7  0

UML - Rachael Schafler and Lindsi Panarelli; B - Tara Fogarty and Megan Blier; W - Fogarty (10-11); L - Schafler (7-3); 3B - UML, Heather Ross; 2B - UML, Panarelli, Ali Ferraro 2.

GAME 2: UMASS-LOWELL 11, BENTLEY 1

UM-Lowell (22-18, 8-10)               010  060  4  --  11  14  1

Bentley (11-19, 4-16)                      000  000  1  --   1   5   1

UML - Elyssa Boris and Lindsi Panarelli; B - Deanna Rousseau, Tara Fogarty (4) and Megan Blier; W - Boris (15-14); L - Rousseau (0-4); HR - UML, Panarelli (3); 3B - UML, Ali Ferraro; 2B - UML, Katie Mazure; B, Chelsea Tamuk.