WALTHAM, Mass.  – Post University Baseball Head Coach became only the third coach in program history to reach 100 career wins at Post as the Eagles picked up their first win of the season in a seesaw battle against Bentley University, 14-12, closing out their three-game series with the Falcons from earlier this weekend, in come-from-behind fashion. 

THE BASICS

Post University 14, Bentley University 12

Post University (1-7)

Bentley University (7-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Off to a hot start, senior third baseman gave the Eagles a quick three-run lead with his home run off sophomore right-hander Jayden Longdin, who got the ball in the Tuesday afternoon matchup. Still with the bases loaded and two outs, a walk issued to freshman infielder Rene Vega III would make it a 4-0 lead as Longdin's day would come to a close after one full inning in which he allowed those four runs (three earned) on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. 

After escaping the first inning unharmed, the wheels would fall off in the second inning, with two outs, graduate right-hander Joe Christiana would issue three straight walks before giving up a grand slam to the sophomore Brendan Sencaj, which tied the game at four. Following a double for graduate outfielder Jared Berardino, Christiana would allow back-to-back home runs to senior outfielder Stan DeMartinis III and senior infielder Nick Pappas, ending his day with Post trailing 7-4. 

Two more runs would come in via junior infielder Tommy Bolton's RBI double in the third inning and an RBI ground out from senior catcher Patrick Purcell in the fourth, extending the Falcon lead to five runs, 9-4, with five innings to play. Making up the deficit all at once, Post put up a six-run seventh inning starting with an RBI double from graduate outfielder Jaylen Kelley and then an RBI single from Vega III, cutting the deficit down to three runs.

Delivering the game-tying blow was senior utility player Damaurys Rodriguez with his bases-clearing double which was aided by an error from Pappas to tie the game at nine all. Tallying his fourth RBI of the day, Rivera gave the Eagles their first lead since the first inning with an RBI double to right, but it would be short-lived as Bentley answered back in the eighth with a game-tying fielder's choice from freshman infielder Curt Heath.

Extending his hit streak to seven straight games, graduate infielder Hayden Roberge's two-run single gave the Eagles the lead back for good in the ninth as Roberge and Kelley helped drive in three runs while sophomore right-hander Gabe White's wild pitch made it a four-run game, 14-10, heading into the bottom of the ninth. But Bentley would not go down quietly with two outs as they put runners on the corners before stringing back-to-back hits with Pappas and freshman infielder Jake Maydak to cut the lead down to two, 14-12.

Following the single from Maydak, sophomore right-hander Zion Fraser, who got the win on the mound for the Eagles, was lifted for sophomore right-hander CJ Pierce, who got his first save of the season with a strikeout of Purcell, giving Skjold his 100th win at Post University and Post their first win of the season. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Hayden Roberge extended his hitting streak to seven straight games and his on-base streak to eight straight games after finishing 1-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the win 
• Rene Vega III had the second multi-hit game of his young career, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk 
• Post University picks up their first-ever win in the head-to-head series against Bentley University after dropping the first three matchups, including two this season in Wappinger Falls, New York 
• With the win in today's game, Head Coach Ray Skjold becomes the third coach in program history to reach 100 career wins at Post, joining his former Head Coach AJ McNamara and Ray Ricker as the only other two to reach the mark 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University now has a break for the next nine days before opening up conference play on the road against Georgian Court University with a doubleheader on March 15th at a time to be determined. This is the first year in which the Lions have had a Baseball team, joining the CACC this season.