SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College softball team split a four-game Northeast 10 Conference series with Bentley University, winning 4-1 and 9-6 on Saturday, April 11 but falling 5-2 and 6-3 on Sunday, April 12. 

AIC is now 11-21 overall and 7-13 in the NE10.

The Yellow Jackets opened the scoring in the series in the third inning with Lauryn Ramalho and Isabel Kahli Robinson knocking back-to-back singles to open the frame; two batters later, Nevaeh Trejo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. She was put out on a Morgan Bemont groundout but Ramalho scored, and Brooklyn Cividanes smashed a double into the left-center gap to score Bemont and Robinson.

Bentley rebounded in the fourth with a one-out double followed by a single, but that was as much as the Falcons could muster against Gabrielle Lambert, who smothered their offense from there. Bemont singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth to score Julia Krijgsman, and Lambert retired the final nine hitters in a row in a 75-pitch complete game win.

Riding high on the first win, AIC went right back to work in game two. Brianna Salazar led off with a walk, and Ayala bunted to sacrifice her over, but a miscue allowed both to reach. Trejo made them pay with a two-run double in the left-center gap, and Bemont followed with an RBI single over third base for a 3-0 lead.

The Falcons responded in the second with two hits, a walk, and a double steal to generate two runs in the top of the second, but their defense let them down yet again in the home half. Krijgsman led off with a four-pitch walk, and Ramalho laid down a sacrifice bunt that the Bentley third baseman threw into right field. Krijgsman scampered home, while Ramalho went all the way to third. A Jilien Ayala walk followed, then back-to-back-to-back RBI plays for AIC as Trejo, Bemont, and Cividanes drove in runs with a groundout, double, and single. AIC's lead ballooned to 7-2.

The Yellow Jackets stacked two more on in the third; Macey Burns smashed a triple off the base of the center field wall and Ramalho doubled to left to bring her home. She swiped third and scored on a groundout, and AIC was on the brink of the run rule with a 9-2 edge.

Bentley began battling back, and led off the fifth with a solo home run that bounced off the fence and over. They hit two more longballs in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 9-6, but the offense was halted there as AIC held on for the win.

Sunday was less kind to AIC; the Falcons took an early lead with a two-run double in the second, and a bases-clearing double in the fourth plated three. The Yellow Jackets pushed back in the sixth, as Bemont, Cividances, and Mikayla Doucette all reached to load the bases with one out. Brianna Salazar was called on to pinch hit and worked a six-pitch RBI walk. Delaney Archer then hit a bouncer to short, but the throw home was muffed at the dish, allowing Cividanes to score and put AIC within a 5-2 margin. The Yellow Jackets could not score again, however.

The finale was a pitcher's duel for five innings as both teams kept the threats to a minimum; some stellar defense on both sides also took hits away. However, the Falcons suddenly blew things open in the sixth, as four of the first five batters reached, the last of which, Becca Harris, hit a home run to right to make it 4-0. A few miscues followed, allowing Bentley to score three more.

AIC gave itself a chance in the seventh, loading the bases on an error and two walks; Ayala drove in a run with a flyout, and Bemont scored two with a single, but that was the end of the scoring as the Falcons recorded the 21st out to secure the split.

AIC gets right back to action on Tuesday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. against Southern Connecticut State University.