Falcons claim historic 29th win of the season
Game 1
Game 1
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bentley | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
|
St. Michael's | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bentley | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 2 |
|
St. Michael's | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
COLCHESTER, Vermont – The 2024 Falcons are the winningest team in Bentley baseball history. With a 7-6 victory at Saint Michael's in the regular-season finale Saturday, the Falcons secured their 29th win of the season. The previous record – 28 wins – was achieved by the 2009 and 2012 Bentley teams.
The Falcons hit the historic mark in dramatic fashion as they entered the 9th inning in a 6-5 deficit. What's more, the Purple Knights retired the first two Bentley batters of the ninth. Still, the Falcons pulled off an improbable two-out rally.
Steve Rizzuto got that rally started with a single, and then Eddy Beauregard was hit by a pitch. Rene Nunez came in to pinch run for Beauregard before Tim Zupkus stepped up to the plate. Zupkus came through with a game-tying single, plating Rizzuto as Nunez moved to third base.
Tyler Gonzlez drew a walk to load the bases, and then Brendan Sencaj hit a hard ground ball to third base. The grounder was misplayed, and Nunez sprinted home safely for the go-ahead run.
Jack Sohkos Drude shut the door on the Purple Knights in the latter innings. He came out of the bullpen with two outs in the seventh inning, and he finished the game allowing just one hit and no runs through his 2.1 innings.
Jackson Walonis hit a two-run single in the second inning, and Tim Zupkus belted a solo home run in the third. Rizzuto added a solo homer in the fifth, and Zupkus came through with an RBI hit in the seventh inning. Zupkus finished the game 4-for-5, pushing his season batting average to .325.
Rizzuto finishes the regular season leading the team in home runs (8) and RBI (55).
The Falcons lost the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, 7-6, in 10 innings. Zupkus went 3-for-5 with a home run – his third of the season.
Bentley entered the ninth inning in a 6-4 deficit, but it pushed two runs across the plate force extra innings. Beauregard and Gonzalez were both hit by a pitch to start the ninth, and Zupkus loaded the bases with a base hit.
Walonis and Tommy Goonan both drove in runs via sacrifice flies. Harper Flint came out of the bullpen to work both the eighth and ninth innings, and he kept Saint Michael's off the scoreboard to allow for Bentley's comeback.
The Falcons qualify for the Northeast-10 Championship. More details will follow about the postseason.