CLERMONT, Fla. – The Bentley University softball team dropped the final two games of its spring break trip on Friday, 4-3 to Minot State University and 6-1 to the University of Bridgeport. The Falcons went 4-6 on their annual season opening trip to the Sunshine State.

Bentley battled back from 4-0 down in the day's opener to 15-1 Minot State, but ultimately could not complete the rally. Junior third baseman Kelly Sanborn (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton HS) led the Bentley offense, going 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Beavers led 4-0 after three innings with the big blow a two out, two-run double by senior Tiffany Friesen in a three-run third inning that scored third baseman Stacy Fournier and starting pitcher Jen Dixon. One batter later, right fielder Katie Backes singled in Friesen to give Minot State a 4-0 lead.

The Falcons got to within 4-1 in the top of the 4th inning when freshman Alex Borrelli (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic HS) scored from third after junior Samantha Tierney (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham HS) reach on an error.

Relief pitcher Haley McDevitt (San Ramon, Calif./San Ramon Valley HS) came on in the bottom of the fourth for Bentley and pitched two scoreless innings to keep the score at 4-1 heading into the sixth. In that inning, a one-out RBI double by Sanborn scored second baseman Laura McDonough (Braintree, Mass./Braintree HS) from second to cut the deficit to 4-2. That chased Dixon from the mound,  with Friesen coming on in relief. Then with two outs, Tierney singled in Sanborn to make it 4-3, but the rally ended there.

McDevitt got through the bottom of the sixth without allowing a run to give Bentley a chance to tie or take the lead in the seventh. However, Friesen retired the Falcons in order to get the save and preserve the win for the Beavers.

McDevitt pitched three scoreless innings of relief for Bentley, allowing only three hits and one walk. Dixon earned the win to improve to 2-0 after tossing 5.1 innings.

In the second game against Bridgeport, Bentley was held in check freshman pitcher Jennine Walsh, who went the distance and struck out 10 while only allowing five hits. Sophomore DH Sydney Phillips led the Purple Knights attack with a 3-3 day at the plate and two RBIs and two runs scored.

After a scoreless first three innings, Bridgeport broke through with four runs in the top of the fourth. After Bentley got the first two outs of the inning, they reeled off six straight hits. Included in the inning was an RBI double third baseman Emma Wojcik, RBI singles by second baseman Jessica Griensinger and Phillips, and an RBI triple by left fielder Jade Blair.

Bentley got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by catcher Erica Thibodeau (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker HS) that scored center fielder Jackie Gauthier (Braintree, Mass./Braintree HS) from first, but that would turn out to be their only run against Walsh.

The Purple Knights tacked on two more runs in the sixth, with Phillips driving in one of the runs with a double. The victory improved their record to 5-7 on the season.

Weather and field conditions permitting, Bentley is scheduled to play its Northeast-10 and home opener on Tuesday against Stonehill.