It’s said that great offense always beats great defense. As the Binghamton softball team found out over the weekend, great offense also beats poor defense.

The Bearcats (4-18, 0-3 AE) were swept by the defending conference champion Albany Great Danes (18-3-1, 3-0 AE) in last weekend’s three-game series, by final scores of 10-1, 5-0 and 9-1.

“We have to be on top of our game when we face them,” said head coach Holly Brown. “There’s a reason why they were picked to finish first.”

Senior shortstop Rose Barre started the series off with a bang by going deep in the top of the first inning. The solo homer was the first of the year for Barre, who went 2-for-5 in Friday’s doubleheader and is batting a team-best .355. But Barre’s fire didn’t catch on with her teammates, as the Bearcats failed to produce another run.

“[Rose] has been very good for us, but we can’t rely on one person,” Brown said. “We’re just hitting the ball right at them. I’m confident in our lineup. We just have to keep plugging away and hopefully the ball will hit the gaps.”

The Great Danes scored 10 runs in the first game before it was called in five innings. First baseman Ashley Rios capped the effort with a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning off senior starting pitcher Katie Hansen.

In the nightcap, Albany drew first blood when shortstop Maegan Larsen drilled a leadoff home run to left field in the bottom of the first. Larsen’s solo shot was the only support pitcher Casey Halloran would need as she completed a four-hit shutout with five strikeouts.

After Larsen’s homer, freshman pitcher Jessica Whitaker did not allow another hit in the next four innings. But the bottom of the fifth provided the nail in Binghamton’s coffin — four nails to be exact. Whitaker faced all nine batters in the inning, giving up four earned runs as Albany’s lead ballooned to 5-0.

“Jessica pitched well,” Brown said. “We just didn’t back her up with runs.”

The final game of the series was called after five innings following a 45-minute rain delay in the third. The rain, however, was the least of Binghamton’s worries. The Bearcats collapsed defensively, committing four errors leading to six unearned runs.

In the top of the third, junior first baseman Emilie Palmcrantz singled home Whitaker, tying the game at 1-1. That would be Binghamton’s only run as the last seven batters were mowed down in order.

Albany second baseman Katrina Dunning ended Binghamton’s comeback with a three-run triple in the bottom of the third, and later scored on a wild pitch. Binghamton committed two errors and gave up seven runs in the inning, five of them unearned.

“We got caught in the rain when they got their runs,” Brown said. “But that’s no excuse for our defensive play.”

Halloran earned her third consecutive win in the series, striking out five during the one-hitter. Whitaker gave up nine runs on eight hits.

“It’s a good start, in that we got to face them right off the bat,” Brown said. “Now we know what has to be done. Hopefully a little luck will come our way.”

If weather permits, Binghamton will host its first home games of the season today with a doubleheader against Syracuse beginning at 4 p.m. The Bearcats will play 14 of their next 16 games at East Gym Field.