WALTHAM, Mass. – Following a regular season0ending three-game sweep of St. Michael's College that wrapped up a postseason berth, the Bentley University Falcons will be in North Andover on Tuesday afternoon to take on Merrimack College in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference championships. First pitch at Warrior Field is scheduled for 3 pm.

The Falcons, the number four seed out of the Northeast Division, and the third-seeded Warriors met three times this season with Merrimack winning the series, 2-1. The two clubs split a doubleheader at Bentley on April 2, with the Falcons bouncing back from a 2-1 game one loss to take the nightcap, 7-4. They also met at Merrimack on April 14 with the home team prevailing 5-2 despite Bentley having a 9-6 advantage in hits.  Three of the five runs were unearned.

The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the University of New Haven where the single-elimination tournament will continue on Thursday, and will face Adelphi University, the second seed out of the Southwest Division, at 1 pm.

The survivor of that game will take on Southern New Hampshire in a semifinal on Friday, and the championship game will be Saturday at 1 pm.

In addition to advancing in the championships, Bentley would also tie a school record for wins in a season with a first-round win, matching the 21 victories posted in 1989 and again in 2009. The Falcons, 20-17 overall, have had one of the conference's most effective pitching staffs with  the NE-10's third-best ERA (2.45) and fourth fewest unearned runs.

Sophomore Kelly Ferris (Seymour, Conn./Seymour HS) leads the staff with a 6-3 record, six saves and a 1.67 ERA in 23 appearances.  Grad student Carly Taitz (Blue Point, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point HS) and sophomore Halley McDevitt (San Ramon, Calif./San Ramon Valley HS) share the team lead in starts with ten apiece, with Taitz 4-4 overall and McDevitt 5-4. Combined, the staff has six shutouts.

Bentley's offense is powered by outfielders Shannon Connor (West Haven, Conn./West Haven HS) and Jackie Gauthier (Braintree/Braintree HS), both of whom notched their 100th career hit on Sunday. Connor is hitting .299 with 16 runs scored and Gauthier, a .440 hitter with runners in scoring position, has a .283 average with 16 RBI.

Sophomore shortstop Alex Borrelli (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic HS) has also been productive with runners in scoring position, with a .293 average in that situation and a team-best 17 RBI.

Bentley is coached by Michele DeGregorio, a former player and coach at Merrimack who led the Warriors to the 1994 NCAA Division II national championship.

Merrimack, 20-19 overall after winning five of its last six, is one of the better offensive teams in the conference. Their slugging percentage of .449 is a team best, and they are among the NE-10 leaders in home runs (32) and stolen bases (52).

The Warriors have four full-time players who are hitting over .300, a list headed by Jessica Fugzazzotto (.382), and their list of home run leaders is topped by Jaclyn Giovannini with nine. From the center circle, they rely on Alexis Perry (11-6, 3.16) and Haley Currie (9-8, 4 saves, 2.90).