The Binghamton softball team will put its 11-game winning streak on the line when it heads to Hamilton, New York for a doubleheader against Colgate (4-19, 1-4 Patriot League) on Tuesday afternoon. With strong wins against teams such as UMass Lowell, Maryland and Central Connecticut State, the team hopes to continue its hot streak.
Last week, the Bearcats (19-9, 6-0 America East) played their first home games of the season against Niagara, both of which resulted in dominant wins. BU outscored the Purple Eagles, 28-1, throughout the doubleheader. BU’s play was highlighted by a no-hitter from sophomore pitcher Sarah Miller in Binghamton’s 13-0 victory.
“We’ve been seeing really good offense, defense, as well as pitching,” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said. “All three aspects of our game are really coming together.”
On the offensive side, both sophomore outfielder Jessica Rutherford and sophomore third baseman Kate Richard were primary contributors in outscoring the Purple Eagles. Both Richard and Rutherford homered twice in the series, with Rutherford batting 3-for-5 on the day, while delivering five RBIs. Rutherford now leads the team in batting average and runs batted in, hitting .465 with 26 RBIs on the season. However, the star of the day was Richard, who batted a perfect 5-for-5, scoring six times and batting in an additional five runs. Currently, the Bearcats are hitting .344 as a team and are ranked ninth nationally in batting average.
The Bearcats most recently faced AE opponent UMBC in a three-game series, where Miller shined on the bum and improve her record to 10-5 on the season. Miller threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the first game, setting her team up for the 6-0 victory. Yet again, the Bearcats outscored their opponents by a large margin and swept the conference series.
Offensively, senior catcher Taylor Chaffee extended her career-high hitting streak to 10 games, batting 3-for-6 in Saturday’s doubleheader. Senior designated hitter Griffin McIver paced the offense, going 3-for-5 at the plate on the day, with a home run and six RBIs. With the home run, McIver has now homered in six of the past nine games and currently leads the Bearcats with seven home runs on the season.
With a number of offensive threats in their lineup, the Bearcats hope to keep their momentum going against Colgate.
“One of our biggest strengths right now is that it really can be anyone [performing] in our lineup,” Burrell said.
Binghamton’s powerful offense has been complemented by Miller’s dominant pitching and carries an ERA of 3.01 on the season. In 69 2/3 innings pitched, Miller has 53 strikeouts and has held opponents to a .255 batting average.
The Raiders [4-19, 1-4 Patriot League] have struggled to find wins this season, falling in six of their last seven contests.
“They’re definitely a better team than their record shows,” Burrell said. “Hopefully we will keep doing what we have been doing.”
In her most recent outing against Army, senior pitcher Brigit Ieuter earned a win for Colgate in the first leg of a doubleheader, giving up four hits and an unearned run in seven innings. Freshman infielder Lauren La Terra went 2-for-3 in the first game, contributing to a rather idle offense for Colgate. The Raiders will hope to get their bats going in order to keep pace with the Bearcats.
The first pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday from Eaton Street Field in Hamilton, New York.