Sunday’s game emphasized what this senior class is about.

Senior catcher Pat Haughie drove in classmates Matt Simek and Brendon Hitchcock to give the Bearcats, and senior pitcher Mike Van Gorder, the lead for good.

But the seniors weren’t done there. Hitchcock and Simek both drove in runs later in the game. Even in the bottom of the eighth, with the game completely in control, the seniors did not settle for cruise control.

Senior shortstop Justin Smucker, who scored the Bearcats’ first run in the first, ripped a one out double down the left field line. One out later, Hitchcock drilled a pitch to left. Then Simek came up, sent a pitch up the middle and drove in Smucker.

That’s what this senior class is all about. Not letting up, whether they’re winning 8-3 or trailing by five. They all say the same thing: every win counts, every run matters.

‘The experience we have, that plays a lot into what this team does,’ head coach Tim Sinicki said. ‘They always feel like they’re in it, and that’s very unique.’

The five aforementioned players, along with Jeff Wertepny and Jeff Monaco, represent a senior class that is as talented as Binghamton University has ever had, and one that has come so close before, seemingly always coming up just short.

‘The seniors, we know how important every single game is,’ Simek said, noting that single games have cost the Bearcats playoff births in the past. ‘It’s not enough for us to just split.’

Last season the team was as talented as any in the America East, but fell short thanks to a makeup game against Stony Brook. Stony Brook didn’t need that game; they had already clinched the playoffs, but a loss allowed Albany to leapfrog BU and land in the playoffs.

This team is not about to let that happen again.

‘This year if we’re down early, big deal. We never sit down, never settle,’ Hitchcock said.

They sure seem to not be settling.

Take Hitchcock. The first baseman, who won the AE batting title in 2005, leads the America East with a jaw dropping .421 batting average and .511 on base percentage. When he set the school record in hits and average two years ago, those numbers were .399 and .461.

Smucker’s been doing his part too. The shortstop has 29 runs scored, one behind the AE leader. He’s third on the team and 10th in the AE with a .342 batting average, and as the Bearcats lead-off man he has gotten constant rallies started.

And then there’s Simek. His .343 batting average is eighth in the conference and he’s second in RBIs with 27. He also seems to have a hand in every game-winning play.

Haughie really does have a hand in every game, handling the catching duties for the AE’s top-ranked pitching staff. He drove in the game-winning runs twice this weekend, including one in dramatic walk-off fashion on Saturday.

Speaking of the pitching staff, Van Gorder is still second in the conference in ERA and the Bearcats know in a big game, he’ll come through. Why? Because like these other seniors, he’s been there, he’s seen them come close and this year they intend to close the deal.

The biggest test of the season will be this weekend, when the second place Stony Brook Seawolves come to town looking to shake up the standings.

With last season’s loss still fresh on this team’s mind, you can bet all the Bearcats will be ready, especially the ones from the class of 2007.