WALTHAM, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team scored twice in the ninth inning before falling against Bentley University, 5-4, on Friday for its third one-run loss in four days during Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play at DeFelice Field. The Purple Knights slipped to 8-20 overall and 2-13 in the NE-10, as 13 losses have come by four runs or fewer this year, while the Falcons are 6-15 and 4-5.

Junior Matt Feeney (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a sacrifice fly for Saint Michael's, and senior Nicky Elderton (Shelburne, Vt./Rice Memorial) tripled as his lone hit in three at bats, scored twice, drove in a run and walked. Sophomore Drew Salk (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) was 1-for-3 and also scored twice, while first-year Aiden Burton (Milford, Conn./Notre Dame) drove in two runs. Junior Curt Echo (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) worked his third complete game of the year, tossing eight innings while yielding five earned runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked four.

Senior Mike Muir (Bridgewater, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple for Bentley, and classmate Tom Nagy (Fairfield, Conn./Ludlowe) went 1-for-2 with three RBIs, a home run, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Senior Connor Root (Nashua, N.H./Nashua North) tossed all nine innings, yielding two earned runs while striking eight and walking one.

Echo escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the first inning before the Purple Knights broke through with two unearned runs in the fourth. Elderton's one-out triple to right center scored Salk, who reached on a leadoff error, and Feeney's sac fly plated Elderton to make it 2-0. Bentley got the runs back in the fifth, with Muir lacing a two-run triple to right center with one down. Nagy was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners, but Saint Michael's converted a ground ball by the next batter into an inning-ending double play.

The Falcons went ahead for good in the seventh inning, with Echo retiring the first two hitters before graduate student Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) walked, Muir singled to center and Nagy swatted a three-run home run to left center. The Purple Knights cut their deficit to one in the ninth inning, as Salk singled to begin the frame, Elderton walked and Feeney singled to load the bases with one out. Burton blooped a two-run single over the outstretched shortstop with two down to plate a pair, and the visitors trailed 5-4 with runners at first and second. However, the next batter hit into a game-ending fielder's choice.

The teams square off again on Saturday for a 12 p.m. doubleheader.