Bentley outfielder Stan DeMartinis didn’t hesitate in the pressure-packed moment.
And the result of DeMartinis’ quick action? History made.
Bentley is headed to the Division II College World Series for the first time in program history after DeMartinis sprinted home from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning of Saturday’s decisive third game of the Super East Regional final to give Bentley a 3-2 walk-off victory over Molloy at DeFelice Field.
“I saw it down and then the ball bounced off the catcher’s pads. And I was saying, ‘Oh my God,’ running down to the plate,” DeMartinis said in a school release. “It was unbelievable. This doesn’t even feel real. This shows all the hard work — today wasn’t our prettiest game, but we trust each other and battled and got it done.”
DeMartinis, who got on base in the ninth after getting hit by a pitch, was one of many heroes on the day for the Falcons. Bentley also got a standout pitching performance from starter Sam Belliveau. The Wenham native and St. John’s Prep product tossed eight innings, in which he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Keegan Antelman pitched a scoreless top of the ninth and was credited with the win, but Belliveau, who transferred from UMass, was a true difference-maker on the mound.
“You see it with the guys who they were returning, it was a really special group and it was a group I wanted to be a part of,” Belliveau said. “It’s a really good core, and it’s a really good opportunity to continue to pass the torch and turn Bentley baseball into a Northeast powerhouse and compete with anyone in the country.”
Bentley trailed right away when Molloy opened the scoring in the top of the first thanks to a solo home run by Sean Welsh. It wasn’t until the sixth that the Falcons tied it up as Brendan Sencaj, who went to King Philip, hit a solo blast himself. Sencaj had two of Bentley’s five hits on the day.
Curt Heath followed up Sencaj’s blast with a single and scored a few batters later on a fielder’s choice by Tommy Bolton. But Bentley didn’t get to enjoy the lead for long as Molloy leveled the score in the top of the seventh.
Bentley owns a pristine 44-15 record and will travel to Cary, N.C., for the College World Series, where the Falcons will try to make more history. The tournament begins this coming Friday.
“To go do our thing,” DeMartinis said about the expectations of playing in the College World Series. “Nothing’s changing. Doesn’t matter who the opponent is. We’re going to trust our guys. We have three, four, five, six amazing bullpen guys, we have four starters who are going to be horses for us and we have our offense is going to compete with anybody. Like coach (Mike Hill) said, I’ll take us against anybody.”
