The temperature was dropping, the tension was rising and suddenly the attention of everyone, on and off the field, was turned to the booming sound of aluminum bat making contact with the pitcher’s offering.
A line drive up the middle and off the bat of junior second baseman Patty Egan plated the winning run with one out in the Bearcats’ half of the eighth inning, capping a colossal comeback and clinching an 8-7 decision against the UMBC Retrievers (26-14, 9-6 AE).
‘We are a hard-working bunch,’ Egan said, ‘We can compete with anyone in the conference. Most of our losses are just the result of some bad breaks.’
For Binghamton, it was the first win in three tries against the Retrievers, and it was achieved in a manner that defines what BU softball is all about.
After finding themselves in a 5-0 deficit at the end of the first inning, the Bearcats rallied all the way back behind a stellar relief effort by sophomore Cyrilla Suker, who picked up her fourth win of the season, going four innings and striking out eight while the UMBC lineup could only scatter three hits and put up one run against her.
Sophomore outfielder Sandy Meadows, who scored from second on Egan’s walk-off hit, went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base. She set the table for Bearcat success with timely hits and exemplary base running, while senior Sara Eppolito made sure that Meadows and the rest of the Bearcats on base made it home. Eppolito was 1-for-3 with a walk and picked up three RBIs over the eight-inning display of the heart and character which, despite a tough season, continues to represent the Bearcat squad.
The Bearcats, who have had a rough month this April (3-13), are playing very strong as of late. They have exemplified the hearts of champions down the latter half of the season and will look to continue the momentum from Tuesday’s extra-inning thriller this weekend, when they play a three-game set on the road versus the Vermont Catamounts (9-25, 2-12 AE).
The Catamounts are on an 11-game losing streak and have lost 13 of their last 14 games, but pitcher Aimee Kern leads the AE with 143 strikeouts and is seventh in the conference with eight wins.