After splitting a doubleheader on Sunday, the Binghamton baseball team took Monday afternoon’s rubber game against Virginia Military Institute, 13-6, in Lexington, Virginia to earn its first series win of season. Weather pushed Friday and Saturday’s games to a Sunday doubleheader, with the third game played Monday.
In Sunday’s opener, BU jumped out to a 3-0 lead to open up the second inning. But the Bearcats’ lead quickly evaporated as VMI rallied to plate 10 runs in the first four innings. VMI finished the contest with a blowout win, 15-4, that included 17 VMI hits and four Bearcat errors. Senior pitcher Greg Ostner’s ERA rose to a colossal 10.24 after allowing seven runs — four earned — over just 2.1 innings.
“[Greg Ostner] isn’t throwing the ball as well as he’s capable of,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. “He’ll keep working hard and hopefully it gets straightened out.”
Binghamton responded in the second game, picking up a 7-3 victory. The Bearcats jumped out to another lead early, as junior infielder David Schanz ripped a double to left field in the first inning to open the scoring. Two batters later, BU earned its first of three straight walks to force in a run to take a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, senior outfielder Jake Thomas singled up the middle to plate senior outfielder Zach Blanden and make the score 3-1. Blanden, who finished the game 3 for 4 with three runs scored, added a single in the seventh to push the lead to 7-2.
Junior pitcher Rob Hardy gained his first win of the season, allowing six hits and two earned runs over 5.1 innings. Senior reliever Vincent Caputo allowed just one hit in the final two-thirds of the sixth inning before handing the ball to senior reliever Mike Urbanski, who struck out three batters while allowing an unearned run in the seventh.
In Monday’s rubber match, BU propelled itself to a 2-0 lead once again, on a pair of singles by sophomore infielder Brendan Skidmore and sophomore catcher Eddie Posavec. VMI responded in the second inning with a two-run home run, but the Bearcats poured it on, adding nine runs over the following three innings en route to the 13-6 victory. Senior pitcher Anthony Grillini was credited with the win after 3.1 innings in relief. Skidmore finished the game going 3 for 4 with five RBIs, two runs scored and a two-run home run in the ninth inning.
“Brendan has been making good contact and hasn’t had a lot to show for it,” Sinicki said. “He’s made a lot of hard outs and today the balls found some holes. It’s good to see him get on track.”
Thomas extended his hit streak to nine games in the third inning and has been a key piece for Binghamton’s offensive success thus far.
“He’s our number three hitter for a reason,” Sinicki said. “He’s our best offensive player and those are the kinds of things we’re going to need to have him do if we want to be successful offensively.”
Binghamton heads into America East play on Saturday, when the team is scheduled to take on Stony Brook in a doubleheader in part of a three-game series. First pitch is set for noon from Joe Nathan Field in Stony Brook, with a second game following shortly after. The concluding game is set for noon on Sunday.