• WALTHAM, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference-leading Bentley University Falcons celebrated Senior Day with a pair of shutout victories over Southern New Hampshire University, 7-0 and 5-0, on the Falcons' new softball field Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Dahlia Fink (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame HS), who was 4-for-7 with three RBI in the two games, saved the opener for junior Payton Doiron (Beacon Falls, Conn./St. Joseph HS) and the nightcap for sophomore Taylor O'Brien (East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia HS).

With the two wins, Bentley (23-10-1, 14-3-1 NE10) moved back into first in the conference with a game-and-a-half lead over Adelphi. Southern New Hampshire dipped to 12-18 overall and 5-9 NE10.

In the opener, Bentley took control with four runs in the second inning. On Senior Day, all four members of the Class of 2023 figured in the scoring. First baseman Kaylee Mankins (North Attleboro/Bishop Feehan HS) and third baseman Jess Trahan (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack HS) both singled and scored, second baseman Katherine Noftall (Ipswich/Ipswich HS) picked up an RBI on a grounder to second and later scored, and center fielder Sam Petow (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury HS) hit a two-run double to left.

Trahan made it 5-0 with an RBI single to short in the third and Bentley completed the scoring with a two-run homer by Fink. It was the first career round tripper for the Californian who finished the day with a .466 average.

Doiron (11-3) and Fink combined on the four-hit shutout with each giving up two. Doiron struck out seven in four innings, moving to within nine of the program's single season record of 127, and Fink fanned two in three innings.

Bentley's 12 hits included three by Grizzaffi and two apiece from Petow, graduate catcher Ella Hillier (Tualatin, Ore./Tualatin HS), Fink and Trahan.

The Falcons jumped out to the early lead with two runs in the second inning of game two. Following hits by Hillier and Fink, Trahan picked up the RBI for the first run on a ground out and Grizzaffi followed with an RBI single to left.

It stayed 2-0 under Bentley added three insurance runs in the fifth. The inning included RBI singles by Fink and junior right fielder Kylee Amato (Bergenfield, N.J./Acad. of the Holy Angels).

Grizzaffi had her third straight three-hit game, a stretch in which she's 9-for-10, and sophomore left fielder Jordan Krause (San Pedro, Calif./San Pedro HS) Hiller and Fink each had two.

O'Brien gave up two hits and struck out four in 5.2 innings before giving way to Fink for the final four outs.

Bentley will close out the regular season home schedule with a Wednesday doubleheader against Assumption.