In a midseason duel between the top two teams in the America East, the Binghamton University baseball team fell just short. With just 10 conference games now remaining in Binghamton’s regular season schedule, the Bearcats dropped two of three to first-place Stony Brook University this weekend to fall two games back in the AE conference standings.
After a four-run Binghamton comeback to force extra innings in Game 1, mistakes in the Bearcats’ (17-20, 9-4 AE) running game and a 10th inning Stony Brook rally allowed the Seawolves (30-12, 11-2 AE) to take the opener, 5-4. Then, after being blanked 6-0 in the nightcap, the Bearcats hung on for a 4-2 victory in Game 3 on Sunday to snap an 11-game Stony Brook winning streak and dodge the series sweep.
The weekend got off to a rocky start for the Bearcats when Stony Brook jumped on BU senior starter James Giulietti early in Game 1. An error, two bunt singles, a double, a triple and a passed ball did the damage in the bottom of the first as the Seawolves jumped ahead 4-0.
Giulietti quickly recovered, though, not allowing another hit through the next six innings. In the meantime, the Binghamton offense staged a comeback. After scoring a run in the third and two in the fifth, the Bearcats found themselves down by one in their last turn at bat. With a runner on second, freshman infielder John Howell stroked an RBI single to right field to tie the game. Howell earned America East Rookie of the Week honors for his weekend performance.
The game remained locked until the 10th. In the top of the frame, with the heart of the lineup due up, the Bearcats threatened to snap the tie, but aggressiveness on the basepaths ended the possibility of a rally. Each of the first three batters got on base, but were erased before reaching second.
Junior first baseman Dave Ciocchi hit a leadoff single to open the inning, but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.
BU head coach Tim Sinicki credited Ciocchi for his aggression, in spite of the dismal result.
“Dave just plays the game hard and I think he just tried to get himself in scoring position and the left fielder made a great throw on him and he got him in what was a very close play,” he said. “Dave’s the type of guy, he’ll try to do anything to help the team win, so I don’t fault him for that decision at all. I think it was a good aggressive play and we were fine with it.”
Senior outfielder Corey Taylor followed Ciocchi with a single of his own, but was called out after attempting to steal second. Then, senior outfielder Peter Bregartner collected a two-out walk, but the inning ended when he was caught trying to steal second with senior designated hitter Jeff Skelhorne-Gross at the plate.
“We just tried to get a guy in scoring position,” Sinicki said. “We tried to get a guy to second base the best we could, and unfortunately for us, their catcher did a great job throwing up two of our fastest guys. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the other team when they make plays, and they made plays in the top of the 10th.”
The Bearcats paid for their mistakes and missed opportunities in the bottom of the inning. The Seawolves’ first three batters reached, as back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases. A wild pitch from senior reliever Zach Juliano saw the game-winning run cross the plate for Stony Brook.
Last week’s America East Rookie of the Week, freshman center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz, led the team with a pair of RBI while notching three hits from the leadoff spot.
In Game 2 of the doubleheader, the Bearcats were shut out by Stony Brook’s Tyler Johnson, who allowed just four hits over seven innings. Johnson’s 1.91 ERA is third-best in the conference.
BU starting pitcher Mike Augliera fared much worse, as Stony Brook hitters tagged the junior for 10 hits and six runs, four earned, over six innings. Augliera struck out four and walked none en route to his third loss of the year.
In the final game of the series on Sunday, sophomore starter Jay Lynch took the mound for the Bearcats, looking to stop the bleeding and cool down the hot Stony Brook bats. The righty did just that as he went the distance, surrendering just two runs on nine hits over nine innings. Lynch struck out eight on the day while walking none.
“Jay gave us exactly what we needed,” Sinicki said. “We needed a strong start, we needed someone who would keep Stony Brook in check and give us an opportunity to score some runs and build a little bit of a cushion and he did just that … His performance may have been one of the best of the year so far.”
Lynch got off to a bit of a bumpy start, allowing a run to score in the first, but in the Bearcats next turn at bat, they responded by plating two runs and taking the lead.
Sophomore infielder Mike Thompson added insurance in the sixth, collecting his second RBI to give the Bearcats the 3-1 lead, but the Seawolves took the run back in the bottom of the inning to cut their deficit to a single run.
An RBI double from Ciocchi in the top of the ninth renewed the Bearcats’ two-run lead, but in their last licks, the Seawolves threatened to even the score. A one-out Stony Brook double brought the potential tying run to the plate twice for the Seawolves, but Lynch worked out of the jam, fanning back-to-back batters to secure the victory, 4-2.
Bregartner led the team on the day, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Bereszniewicz’s bat remained hot throughout the series. The rookie was 6-for-13 over the three-game set with a pair of RBI.
BU is scheduled to face Cornell University in a non-conference home game at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Varsity Field.