The bats finally came out of hibernation for the Bearcats over the weekend. The only problem was, they also came out for the Seawolves.
After losing the first contest of the America East series 7-5, the Binghamton softball team (5-21, 1-5 AE) earned a 14-6 victory over Stony Brook (17-17, 2-2 AE) at the East Gym Complex before dropping the rubber-game 13-3. The lone win of the series ended Binghamton’s seven-game losing streak and marked its first victory in conference play.
“We played well the first two games,” said head coach Holly Brown. “[In the third game] they caught us off guard a little. We just have to stay positive and take it to the rest of the conference.”
Saturday’s matinee saw the two teams combine for 12 runs on 13 hits. The Bearcats would storm back from a 3-0 deficit, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning. After senior second baseman Nicole Vitello led off with a double and scored on a fielder’s choice, freshman left fielder Amanda Mills walked with the bases loaded. Junior first baseman Emilie Palmcrantz’s RBI single would knot the game at 3-3, and sophomore Devin Glezen gave Binghamton the lead on an RBI ground out.
The lead would last only two innings, though, as Stony Brook scored four runs in the top of the fifth. Junior first baseman Samantha Posey’s two-run double to right gave the Seawolves the lead for good, 6-4. She would later score on a double by freshman third baseman Kelly Oberto, pushing the lead to three runs.
Glezen, who went 2-for-4 on the day, led off the bottom of the fifth with a stand-up double to left and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Vitello. But that would be all she wrote for the Bearcats, as they were held scoreless the remainder of the game.
“We just need to keep chipping away,” said senior shortstop Rose Barre.
The Bearcats looked to strike first and strike hard in the opening game of Sunday’s doubleheader. Junior catcher Mia Bieman’s two-out, two-RBI double to left field put Binghamton up 2-0 in the first inning. Freshman pitcher Jessica Whitaker would then follow with an RBI single to center, giving herself a three-run cushion.
Every post-pitch grunt by Stony Brook’s junior pitcher Christina Voth seemed to signal another Bearcat run. After Posey’s two-run homer in the top of the second brought the Seawolves to within one, Vitello singled home two runs in the bottom of the inning. She would later score on a double by Bieman, extending the lead to 6-2. The Seawolves would make it a two-run game in the top of the third, but the Bearcats added eight more runs before the game was called during the sixth inning.
Vitello and Bieman each went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the game. Freshman designated hitter Sandy Meadows had a team-high three hits, while Barre had two RBI and scored three times. Binghamton achieved season highs in runs (14) and hits (16) in the game.
“We scored 14 runs in one game,” Barre said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster.”
After the offensive explosion in the first game, the Bearcats’ tank was empty in the nightcap. The Seawolves scored five runs off of senior Katie Hansen in the top of the first inning, including a two-out, three-run bomb to center field.
“They didn’t hit [Hansen] that well,” Brown said. “We just made mistakes and didn’t help her out.”
Although senior right fielder Lauren Verrusio singled home a run in the bottom of the second, the Seawolves got it back in the top of the third on a solo home run by first baseman Haley Durham. The Seawolves would then send six more batters across home plate, swelling the score to 12-1.
“We need to get outs when we can,” Brown said. “We can’t keep running [after the opponent’s lead].”
The Bearcats tried to extend the game in the bottom of the fifth when Barre hit an RBI double to right field. She later scored on an error, but the game was called after Whitaker struck out looking to end the inning, stranding runners on first and third.
“We’re not counting ourselves out,” Brown said. “We’re right there.”
UMBC will be the next target in Binghamton’s crosshairs, as the Bearcats will host a doubleheader with the Retrievers tomorrow at 2 p.m. Binghamton and UMBC split their two doubleheaders last season, with each team winning one on the other’s home field.