Bentley University

CARY, N.C. – The historic 2026 Bentley baseball season came to an end in the NCAA DII World Series when the Falcons lost to Catawba, 15-8, Monday afternoon. It was Bentley's first ever NCAA World Series appearance, following the program's first NCAA East Regional title and first Northeast 10 title this season.

The Falcons (44-17) were in a 6-2 deficit entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but that's when Bentley rallied for four runs to tie the game. Jake Maydak led off with a single, and two batters later Tommy Goonan was hit by a pitch. Tommy Bolton followed by ripping a double down the third-base line to score Maydak. Curt Heath hit a double of his own, plating both Goonan and Bolton to cut Catawba's lead to 6-5. Heath came in to score the tying run when Jared Berardino smacked a single up the middle.

The score remained tied, 6-6, through five innings, but Catawba (48-13) rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth. Bentley got two of those runs back in the seventh inning. David VanderZouwen led off by striking out, but he reached first base on a passed ball with the swinging third strike. VanderZouwen moved up to second base on a wild pitch. Bolton drew a walk, and then a second wild pitch allowed Bentley to have two runners in scoring position. Heath took advantage of the opportunity by delivering a two-run single that brought Bentley to within 10-8. However, those two runs ended up being Bentley's final runs of the season.

The Falcons opened the game with a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Heath earned a leadoff walk, Berardino was hit by a pitch, and Stan DeMartinis III was walked to load the bases. Heath scored the game's first run when Brendan Sencaj grounded out.

Catawba rallied for three runs in the top of the second, but Bentley got one of those runs back in the home half of the frame. Jimmy Mitchell drew a leadoff walk, and Goonan put down a sacrifice bunt to move Mitchell into scoring position. Mitchen then scored on a Bolton single to left field.

Bentley's season ends with a program record 44 wins, far exceeding the previous record (33) set in 2025. What's more, numerous Falcons set single-season records this spring:

Home runs (23, Stan DeMartinis III)
RBI (82, Brendan Sencaj)
Hits (103, Nick Pappas)
Runs (84, Nick Pappas)
Walks (51, Tommy Bolton)
Wins (10, Pat Heber & Sam Belliveau)
Strikeouts (106, Zach Eigenbrod)
Appearances (26, Keegan Antelman)