WALTHAM, Mass. - No. 22 Southern New Hampshire University banged out 11 hits as it topped Bentley University 9-4 in Northeast-10 baseball Monday afternoon at DeFelice Field.  The Penmen upped their record to 14-6 and 2-1 in the NE-10, while the Falcons fall to 3-11 and 1-1 in the league.

Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.) led the way for the Penmen, going 2-4 with three runs batted in.  Ryan Gendron (Nashua, N.H.) and Mike Montville (Portsmouth, N.H.) each drove in a pair of runs, with Gendron going 2-4 with a home run, while Montville was 1-2 with three walks.  Carson Helms (Farmington, Conn.) also recorded two hits, while leadoff batter Zach Goldstein (Merrick, N.Y.) went 3-5 with two runs scored.

SNHU starter Justin Valdespina (Garfield, N.J.) improved to 2-0 on the mound, allowing two hits and one run in five innings of work, fanning three and walking two.  Ben Criscuolo (Branford, Conn.) notched his second save of the season, coming into a two-on, one out jam in the eighth of a then 6-4 game and ending the threat, then tossing a hitless ninth.

The Penmen, playing as the home team, jumped out to a 6-1 lead with two runs in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth.  Bentley scored three times in the top of the seventh and threatened in the top of the eighth before Criscuolo shut the door.  SNHU tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom half of the eighth, with a Helms single plating Goldstein, while Montville delivered a two-run double.

Cruz made it 1-0 in the second when his liner to center plated Gendron, who led off the inning with a single.  Goldstein made it 2-0 when he scored on a throwing error on a Helms single.  In the third, Gendron homered with one out, while two runs came in on a Cruz single.  Gendron drove in the sixth Penmen run in the fourth on a bases-loaded fielders' choice.

Southern New Hampshire outhit Bentley 11-6, as six different Falcons finished with one hit apiece.  Bentley starter Scott Lueders took the loss, as he was tagged for eight hits and six runs in 3.1 innings of work.

SNHU faces the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, in a seven-inning exhibition Tuesday night at 6:00 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.  The next regular season game is Wednesday when the Penmen host No. 5 Franklin Pierce University in a 3:30 Northeast-10 contest.

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