COLCHESTER, Vt. – Senior left-hander Kelsey Smith (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant HS) pitched a three-hit shutout to lead Bentley University to a 4-0 win over St. Michael's College and a split of their Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader at Doc Jacobs Field Friday afternoon.

In the opener, it was St. Michael's who recorded the shutout as junior Danielle Brown (Vergennes, Vt.) turned in a four-hitter for a 1-0 Purple Knight victory.

Smith's third career shutout saw her walk one, hit two batters and strike out five. She scattered three singles and allowed only one runner to reach third base.

The Falcons gave her a lead in the fifth after junior second baseman Catie Noons (North Dighton, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth HS) led off the inning with a triple to left center. Freshman pinch hitter Gabby Casalino (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West HS) followed with a single up the middle to make it a 1-0 game.

In the sixth, after a pair of dropped pop-ups by the Purple Knights (11-20, 9-10 NE10 Northeast), freshman shortstop Julie Slavin (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill HS) scored Bentley's second run on a single to left by junior designated player Jordan Ballantyne (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Arlington HS).

In the seventh, senior left fielder Kelsey Kennedy (Bedford, N.H./Bedford HS) drew a one-out walk, Slavin singled through the left side and both scored, doubling Bentley's lead, on a triple to left center by freshman center fielder Juliana Romeo (Greenville, R.I./Smithfield HS).

Bentley (11-22, 4-3 Northeast) totaled  eight hits, including a 2-for-3 effort from Noons.

The only run in the opener was scored without benefit of a hit in the fourth inning. St. Michael's freshman designated player Torie Rathwell (Guilderland, N.Y.) drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second, took third on a grounder to first and scored on a passed ball.

Brown struck out two for the Purple Knights and hard-luck loser Hannah King (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk HS) did the same for Bentley while pitching a two-hitter.

Two of Bentley's four hits were by Romeo, who was 3-for-7 in the two contests.

The two teams will also meet in a noon game at St. Michael's Saturday and Bentley will close out its doubleheader with a home doubleheader against Southern New Hampshire on Sunday.