Local baseball teams rolling as spring heats up

It may have taken a while, but the streets of Waltham are finally warming up with beautiful sun and temperatures set for the 70s for the beginning of this week.

This is music to the ears of baseball players around the city. The season is in full swing with everyone from Waltham Youth Baseball players to the collegiate ranks getting their hacks in. Here is how the local nines are faring as of late.

Waltham High School (5-3)

The Hawks are off to a nice start under manager Larry Scafidi. There were questions about the WHS offense heading into the season, but the scoring was no issue as WHS finished off school vacation week with a dominant 10-5 showing on Friday morning against Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School at Yetten Baseball Field.

Waltham will look to keep the momentum rolling as it hosts Concord-Carlisle High School on Wednesday afternoon. 

Bentley University (29-14, 16-6 NE10)

It has been a memorable campaign so far for the Falcons, who are right up there with Franklin Pierce University and Southern New Hampshire University for the top spot in the Northeast Division of the Northeast-10 Conference.

Bentley took care of business in a doubleheader at Robert DeFelice Field, named after the late legendary head coach, on Sunday afternoon with consecutive walk-off defeats over the University of New Haven.

The two game-winners came in very different fashion, displaying the Falcons’ ability to win in multiple ways. 

Bentley trailed 4-2 heading into the ninth inning in the opener. Despite the tall task, the Falcons stayed patient, working a remarkable six walks in the final frame. Freshman Curt Heath worked a base on balls with the bases loaded and two outs to tie the score before fellow first-year player Jake Maydak did the same to seal the 5-4 win.

In the finale, it was the long ball that sealed the deal. Sophomore Brendan Sencaj reached on a base knock with the Falcons down, 4-3, in the bottom of the decisive seventh inning. Senior Nick Pappas then followed that up with a big fly to left to clinch yet another 5-4 victory.

Bentley’s year has been full of historical feats, as well. Sencaj’s fifth-inning single in the second contest was his 74th hit of the year, breaking the all-time program record set by Don Peters in 1997. With the triumph, the Falcons tied last season’s team for the most wins in program history.

Bentley will have multiple chances to eclipse the 30-win plateau. The team hosts American International College on Wednesday afternoon before a three-game set at DeFelice Field against Saint Michael’s College this weekend.

Brandeis University (11-27, 3-17 UAA)

While the spring has not been ideal for the Judges, the unit on Friday afternoon accomplished a feat not seen on campus since 2011.

Case Western Reserve University arrived at Stein Diamond riding high as the 21st-ranked team in the country by D3Baseball.com. But Brandeis graduate student Jake Freed hit a dinger and first-year player Keith Lee chipped in two RBI as Brandeis won, 6-4, for their first beating of a top-25 foe since 2011.

First-year closer Brady Lane shut down the Spartans in the top of the ninth to secure the save. This type of performance has become routine for the high-potential arm. Lane’s six saves on the season ranks second in the conference and 13th in the entire Division III baseball landscape. The Boston College High School product sits third in the school’s history in saves for a single season.

Lane will have opportunities to pad his tally this week as Brandeis plays host to Amherst College on Tuesday evening and Curry College as part of Senior Day festivities on Wednesday.