WALTHAM, Mass. The American International College baseball team dropped a pair of games to Bentley University, 5-3 and 10-9, in cross-divisional Northeast-10 baseball action from DeFelice Field.
AIC falls to 6-25 with the losses while the Falcons improve to 9-15 on the year.
Bentley plated a run in the first of game one, but the Jackets responded in the top of the second as freshman Josh Aviles (Naugatuck, Conn.) singled home sophomore Reed Phillips (Longmeadow, Mass.) for the 1-1 tie.
The Falcons regained the lead on a solo-homer in the fifth before Aviles laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to score freshman Travis Seymour (Chicopee, Mass.) and tie the score again 2-2 in the top of the seventh.
However, Bentley scored three in the bottom half of the frame on a double by sophomore Nick Neshe (Waltham, Mass.) and RBI singles from sophomore Mike Samko (Arlington, Mass.) and graduate student Mike Muir (Bridgewater, Mass.) for the 5-2 lead.
The Jackets responded in the top of the eighth as senior Mike Coyne (El Cajon, Calif.) laced a double to center and came around to score on a single to right by classmate Brett Bohl (Ludlow, Mass.) for the 5-3 score. AIC then loaded the bases with two-outs, but Bentley got out of the jam as Neshe hurled 1.1 scoreless frames to pick up the save.
Senior Harrison Paige (Springfield, Mass.) absorbed the loss falling to 0-6 on the season after allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings of work. Graduate student Bill Sullivan (Carver, Mass.) earned the decision for Bentley hurling 7.1 innings allowing three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
AIC outhit the hosts in the opener, 10-9, as Coyne went 4-for-5 at the dish extending his hitting-streak to six games while Aviles went 2-for-4 in game one.
Bentley again opened the scoring in the finale on a solo-homer in the bottom of the fourth by senior Zachary Littman (Abington, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly before extending the lead with three runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly, a walk and a dropped fly ball for the 5-0 margin.
AIC then grabbed the lead with a six-run top of the seventh as Aviles crossed home on an error after swiping third for and senior Eddie Ritch (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) knocked home sophomore Alex LaFayette (Ludlow, Mass.) with a single to left before junior K.J. White (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Bohl recorded back-to-back two-out, two-run singles to give the Jackets the 6-5 lead.
Ritch added a run-producing ground-out in the eighth, but Bentley came fighting back in the bottom half scoring once on a wild pitch before Samko and Muir recorded RBI singles to take the 8-7 lead.
The back-and-forth late inning affair continued as junior Chris Starcun (Easthampton, Mass.) blasted an RBI triple in the ninth before crossing home on a sacrifice fly by White for the 9-8 edge, however, freshman Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.) ripped a two-out, two-run single to left center for the 10-9 walk-off hit.
Coyne was dealt the loss with a blown save to fall to 0-3 on the year, both runs were unearned as the senior allowed two hits with one strikeout in two thirds of an inning.
The Jackets held the 11-10 edge in hits in the second game as senior Tyler Geffert (Hopedale, Mass.) went 3-for-5 and LaFayette added a pair of hits.
AIC returns home for a single contest as they resume divisional play with a 3:30 p.m. tilt against Saint Rose on Wednesday.
