This weekend’s four-game series featured the America East’s top two baseball teams and lived up to the hype as Binghamton (21-15, 15-4 AE) and Stony Brook (24-20, 10-5 AE) slugged it out this weekend, splitting the series that finished with a Bearcat victory in the finale on Sunday, 11-5.
Zach Groh pitched seven scoreless innings in Friday’s opener to pick up the win. Third baseman Kyle Klee registered a two-out, two-run triple in the fifth to provide the run support, and Binghamton cruised to the win with relief pitcher Khalid Afify closing out the ninth for his fifth save of the year. Afify has still not allowed a run in America East play.
‘We’ve come to realize how important winning the first game really is,’ senior first baseman Brendon Hitchcock said following last weekend’s series. That game set the tone for their sweep of Hartford last weekend.
This weekend, however, the opener was instrumental for the Bearcats in order to avoid losing the series; Binghamton trailed the Seawolves 2-1 in the series after Stony Brook swept Saturday’s doubleheader on the backs of its starting pitchers. Junior Gary Novakowski pitched a one-hitter for Stony Brook in the opener to set the tone for the day, and his teammate Jonathan Kalkau completed a four-hitter in the second game.
Senior right fielder Jeff Monaco led Binghamton on Sunday with a home run and three RBI. Monaco’s two-run shot soared over the left field wall in the second inning.
The Bearcats had three explosive innings that accounted for 16 hits.
Deadlocked at three in the bottom half of the fifth, Binghamton countered the Stony Brook two-run effort in the top half of the inning with four runs off five hits. Klee led off with a single and senior shortstop Justin Smucker singled off a bunt that put runners on the corners.
Senior Matt Simek drove in a run with a sac-fly, then senior catcher Pat Haughie doubled and Monaco singled to extend the lead to 7-3 ‘ a lead Binghamton would not relinquish.
Senior Mike Van Gorder started the game for Binghamton, only giving up three runs in 5.2 innings of work to pick up the win, improving his record to 5-2. With the win, he ties Groh for the team lead in wins.
Errors plagued the Seawolves throughout Sunday’s game, especially in the seventh, and Binghamton took advantage of each one.
Junior Ryan James hit an RBI single and Hitchcock delivered a two-out, two-RBI double in the seventh, contributing to a four-run inning on three hits and two Stony Brook errors.
For the day, Hitchcock finished 3-for-5, while James went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Klee capped off his strong weekend with a 2-for-5 effort at the plate with two runs.
Following this weekend, Binghamton still sits atop the America East with a 15-4 conference record.
The Bearcats will take a break from conference play next weekend when the Division I independent New Jersey Institute of Technology (11-21) pays a visit for a four-game series at Varsity Field. It will be the final home regular season series for seniors Hitchcock, Smucker, Monaco, Van Gorder, Simek, Mike Papili and Jeff Wertepny.