WALTHAM, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team lost a pair of close decisions to 18th-ranked Bentley University, 10-6 in seven innings and 5-2, on Sunday during Northeast 10 Conference play at DeFelice Field. The Falcons' national ranking was according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (13-18, 11-11 NE10), Bentley (26-9, 18-4 NE10)

DOUBLEHEADER FACTS

• Senior Keegan Burke (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) shut out a high-powered Bentley offense on only three hits in six innings of work during the nightcap before receiving a no-decision. The Falcons entered the weekend seventh in NCAA Division II in home runs per game, 30th in runs per game and 37th in batting average before plating 49 runs in the first three games of the weekend series.
• Burke took over sixth in program history in career strikeouts (147), passing Austin Ziskie '12 (146).
• Graduate student Max Kolifrath (Millbury, Mass./Millbury) was hit by a pitch for the 25th time in his career, tying Steven Auger's '17 school record.
• Junior Richard Gilboy (South Portland, Maine/South Portland) pushed his career hit total to 98 while taking over sole possession of second place in program history in season RBI (31) and fourth in career RBI (76). He is one RBI short of Sean Finnell's '94 32-year-old season mark.

GAME 1
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Gilboy, 1-for-4, R, 3 RBI, HR
• Senior Sam Cavossa (East Falmouth, Mass./The Winchendon School), 2-for-4, R, RBI
• Junior Frankie Blake (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central/Clarkson), 2-for-3, R, 2B
• Junior Colin Kinsella (Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop), 2-for-4
• Sophomore Jerry Guzman (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Brunswick School), 1-for-4, R, RBI
• First-year Alex Bido (Danbury, Conn./Danbury), 1-for-1, R, RBI, HP
• First-year Gavin Nichols (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union), 2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, loss
• Senior Jack Fischer (Forest Hills, N.Y./Saint Francis Prep), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K in relief

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Graduate student Jared Berardino, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HP
• Graduate student Nick Pappas, 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HP
• Senior Tommy Bolton, 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, BB
• Graduate student Sam Belliveau, 6.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, win

THE ACTION

• Bentley scored four first-inning runs on four run-scoring hits before plating another three runs in the second inning to make it 7-0.
• Cavossa's two-out RBI single put Saint Michael's on the board in the third, scoring Bido.
• Bolton (fielder's choice) and Berardino (single) both drove in runs in the home half.
• Bido knocked a two-out RBI single in the fourth, and Gilboy drilled a three-run homer in the seventh before Guzman's RBI single created a 10-6 margin. However, the Purple Knights never brought the tying to bat.

GAME 2
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Blake, 1-for-3, BB
• Cavossa, 3-for-5, RBI
• Gilboy, 1-for-4, BB
• Junior Josh Ayala (San Diego, Calif./Alexandria City/West Virginia Wesleyan), 2-for-5, R, RBI, HR
• First-year Gage Spagna (Nottingham, N.H./Lovell Academy), 1-for-4, R
• Keegan Burke, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, no-decision
• Senior Colin Burke (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan), 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K in relief, loss

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Tommy Goonan, 1-for-1, 2 RBI
• Sophomore Curt Heath, 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Graduate student Evan McCarthy, 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K in relief, win

THE ACTION

• The Purple Knights loaded the bases with one out in a scoreless first inning before Ayala led off the fifth with a home run for the first run of the game. The visitors again left the sacked packed in that frame.
• Keegan Burke allowed only three Falcons to reach second base during his six innings, ending the third by picking one off.
• With Burke out of the game by the seventh, Bentley tied the game on sophomore Jake Maydak's single before going ahead by virtue of Bolton's RBI groundout.
• The Falcons added three runs in the eighth, with Goonan plating a pair of unearned runs on a two-out single.
• Saint Michael's rallied in the ninth, with Cavossa's RBI single making it 5-2 and putting two on with no one out. Following a popup for the first out, the visitors hit into a game-ending fly ball double play.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday vs. Franklin Pierce University, 3 p.m.