The Binghamton softball team took a break from America East (AE) play on Tuesday and hosted Army for a doubleheader in its final home games of the regular season. After coming from behind to win game one 10-6, the Bearcats controlled the second game, earning a 6-1 victory and sweeping the doubleheader against the Black Knights. The two victories for the Bearcats marked their ninth and 10th home wins of the season, as they finished with a 10-2 home record on the year.
“We obviously have a great atmosphere here,” said Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “We love playing at home, and I think we just talked about keeping the momentum into Maine this weekend. It’s a tough place to go up and play, and they’re a good team. They’ve been playing some tight games, so just making sure we got momentum today to make sure we feel good going into the weekend.”
An offensive burst from both sides marked the start of the day’s first game. The Bearcats (26-13, 10-4 AE) answered the Black Knights’ (17-31, 7-5 Patriot League) run in the first inning with one of their own, courtesy of sophomore outfielder Sarah Rende who doubled to center field and brought in in redshirt sophomore utility Lindsey Walter. However, Army would go on to score three runs in the third inning and one in the fourth to lead 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Binghamton responded as sophomore outfielder Laney Harbaugh batted in graduate student pitcher Sophia Pappas to close the gap to 5-2.
The hosts then blew past the Knights in the following innings, plating three runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth to lead 10-5 entering the final inning. The last three of those runs came in the form of a three-run homer by junior utility Shelby Carvalho. While Army would manage to scrape across one consolation run in the seventh, a timely catch from Pappas would help Binghamton hold onto its lead to secure the first game of the afternoon 10-6.
After pitching the first three innings, freshman pitcher Kendal Leitner was replaced by Pappas, who struck out two batters and allowed four hits over her four innings of work, recording the win for the game. Additionally, Pappas was a standout hitter, recording a hit during each of her three at-bats. She would also go on to score all three times that she got on base and registered two RBIs as well.
The second game of the day started out more slowly. After a scoreless first inning, graduate student infielder Alli Richmond’s solo home run in the second gave Binghamton the 1-0 lead which it would not relinquish for the rest of the contest. In the third inning, junior pitcher Allison L’Amoreaux plated Rende with a single while Harbaugh brought in freshman utility Kaylin Curro in the fourth with a single of her own. The fourth inning would also see a three-run homer from redshirt sophomore infielder Gabby Guerrero, who knocked it out of the park with Harbaugh and freshman infielder Akira Kopec on base. The scoring spree allowed Binghamton to lead 6-0 going into the fifth. The Black Knights, however, got on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning, ending L’Amoreaux’s shutout performance. The following final two innings were scoreless as Binghamton won the game 6-1, and ultimately swept the doubleheader over Army. L’Amoreux pitched all seven innings and was credited with the win, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out four batters.
“I think [Harbaugh] had a pretty good day, quietly,” Bump said. “She had, I think, three hits in the first game and three hits in the second. Some key RBIs for us when we needed her to, and obviously, at the top the lineup, it’s good to have her hot — so hopefully she can keep that going the next two weeks.”
Binghamton will hit the road this weekend for a three-game series against Maine starting on Saturday, April 29. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for noon at the UMaine Softball Facility in Orono, Maine.