The Binghamton women’s softball team opened America East (AE) conference play by taking one out of three games on the road against Bryant over the weekend. After getting shutout 4-0 in game one of Friday’s doubleheader, BU found its footing in game two to nab a 5-2 victory. While success at the plate continued into Sunday, success at the mound did not with the team dropping the rubber match 8-4.

“[AE] play is a new season, and even though we didn’t get the series win, we are going to continue to work hard and move forward,” wrote Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “Bryant is a much-improved team with a good offense and it just wasn’t our weekend, but we aren’t worried one bit.”

Game one of Friday’s doubleheader opened at a standstill, with neither Binghamton (15-10, 1-2 AE) or Bryant (14-7, 2-1 AE) registering a run across the first three innings. While senior pitcher Allison L’Amoreaux held Bryant to just one hit in the opening stretch, Binghamton struggled to get on base all game long, as it hit .167 as a team in game one. Binghamton got its best scoring opportunity during the top of the fourth inning after stringing together two singles and a walk to load the bases. However, frame ended with the Binghamton runners stranded on base and the score still at 0-0. Bryant broke through with an RBI single in the fourth inning to take the lead and maintain after adding three insurance runs in the fifth and sixth to build a 4-0 advantage. The Bulldogs held the lead the rest of the way to secure a 4-0 victory over BU in game one.

“Our mentality at the plate needs to be better,” Bump wrote. “We didn’t have the best approach, and we’re taking ourselves out of at bats and didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we did have. Bryant was really good with [runners in scoring position] this weekend and executed under pressure.”

In BU’s second game on Friday, the visitors got the scoring started in the second inning as freshman utility Maddy Dodig hit an RBI single to left field that plated two runs. The following inning, BU extended the lead to 4-0 after capitalizing on an RBI single from sophomore pitcher Brianna Roberts and a Bulldog error to bring two more Bearcats home. BU’s offensive momentum continued in the fifth when junior outfielder Sarah Rende mashed a home run to deep left that made the score 5-0. While Bryant added two runs of its own in the fifth inning, Roberts shut the Bulldogs’ offense down for the rest of the way to earn her fifth win of the season and knot up the series for BU at one game a piece.

“Our goal is always to win every inning,” Bump wrote. “We did a much better job [in] game two getting momentum and scoring throughout the game.”

In the series finale on Sunday, Bryant opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning. Binghamton responded in next frame with Roberts drilling a two RBI double to center field to knot things up. BU then took a 4-2 lead — courtesy of a second RBI double — this time from senior utility Shelby Carvalho. However, Bryant came right back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead at 6-4. The Bulldogs added one run in the fourth and fifth innings while Binghamton was held scoreless the rest of the way and suffered an 8-4 loss.

“Our pitchers got hit the hardest they have all year for a few reasons,” Bump wrote. “Bryant is a free-swinging team and have a great presence and know they aren’t going to get beat. And our pitchers were doing a good job getting ahead early but weren’t executing our nibble pitches.”

The Bearcats’ stretch of 27 road games to open the season will conclude with a doubleheader against Le Moyne on Tuesday, March 26. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Le Moyne Softball Complex in Syracuse, New York.