When a first place team goes on the road to take on a winless team, the chance exists for the superior squad to take the cellar dweller lightly, and come into the series unprepared.

That was not the case this weekend for the Binghamton baseball team, as the Bearcats took three out of four from the UMBC Retrievers, winning 4-3 on Friday, and 8-0 and 16-2 on Saturday before losing 3-2 in the finale on Sunday.

Their weekend performance put the Bearcats alone in first place in the America East.

‘I think our guys have been very good about just trying to take care of business every time they take the field,’ head coach Tim Sinicki said. ‘They’re not looking behind and not looking ahead.’

In Friday’s game closer Khalid Afify struck out the final two batters of the game to seal a 4-3 victory for Bearcat ace Zach Groh. It was Afify’s fourth save of the year, and he has not allowed a run in conference play.

‘He’s been lights out for the most part,’ Sinicki said. ‘We feel like when we’re in that situation there’s absolutely no hesitation, and we’ll continue to use him.’

Groh improved to 3-1, going seven innings, scattering four hits and fanning seven before handing the game over to Greg Lane and Afify in the eighth and ninth.

The Bearcats scored all four runs in the fourth inning, on a two-run double from Jeff Monaco and two-run home run from Henry Dunn.

Saturday saw the Bearcats’ two most dominating conference wins.

Scott Diamond was untouchable in the first game, allowing four hits and striking out five in a complete game shutout. He was named AE Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

‘Scotty’s velocity was back,’ Sinicki said. ‘The biggest thing was when he got ahead of hitters he was able to put them away.’

Joe Charron and Justin Smucker each went 3-for-4 while Dunn and Matt Simek both had a pair of hits.

In the second game, BU put on a hitting display to the tune of 16 hits. BU scored five runs in the first, three in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth and one in the seventh.

Catcher Pat Haughie belted a three-run home run and a solo shot. Kyle Klee went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Charron also homered, his sixth-inning blast giving him an America East-leading five long balls.

‘We’re playing with a lot of confidence and that goes a long way,’ Sinicki said. ‘We had some tremendous two-strike at bats and a ton of two-strike RBIs. That all goes with the confidence.’

Jeff Dennis went the distance for the Bearcats, striking out seven and lowering his ERA to 2.57, the second lowest in the conference.

The Retrievers salvaged the series on Sunday, scoring three runs in the fifth inning to beat the Bearcats 3-2.

Mike Van Gorder took the loss and lost his stranglehold on the AE earned run average crown, seeing his ERA rise to 2.17.

In the home half of the fifth with the Bearcats leading 1-0, UMBC’s Joe Fowler hit a two-run home run, and Will Delawter followed with what proved to be the game-winning blast.

The Bearcats had the tying run on base in the seventh and ninth, but a double-play ended the threat in the seventh, and a pop-out ended the ballgame.

Binghamton will host a non-conference game against LeMoyne today at 4 p.m. at Varsity Field. Gio Yannuzzi is scheduled to make the start, but Sinicki said that five or six pitchers will get work.

‘I don’t want to downplay the importance of non-conference games but when you’re in the middle of your conference season they take on another look,’ he said. ‘We need to get some guys out who didn’t pitch, so if someone gets into a bit of a funk later we’re ready.’