The Binghamton baseball team won its first game against the Virginia Military Institute, but lost the remaining contests and came home with a 2-1 series defeat.
“I think we slipped up a little bit on Saturday’s game two, and then there was a little bit of a hangover period into [Sunday’s] game,” Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki said.
Sophomore third baseman/designated hitter Reed Gamache was the star of Saturday’s doubleheader, however, as he finished four for nine on the day with six RBIs. He leads the team with 11 RBIs.
Saturday’s first game saw the Bearcats (4-9) defeat the Keydets (9-5), 10-2, as they dominated at the plate and on the mound. Junior Jack Rogalla (2-1) started the game and pitched seven innings, allowing two unearned runs on only two hits. He struck out three and lowered his ERA on the season to 2.14.
Through the fourth inning, BU was up 1-0, but expanded its lead in the fifth with three runs. With the bases loaded, Gamache hit a double that brought home two BU players. The next batter, junior first baseman Brian Ruby, hit a sacrifice fly that brought in junior left fielder Jake Thomas.
After the Keydets scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Bearcats’ lead in half, 4-2, BU added two of its own in the top of the sixth on an RBI single from junior right fielder Zach Blanden and a sacrifice fly by senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz.
Binghamton would score one in the seventh and three more in the ninth.
Coming into the game, VMI junior pitcher Reed Garrett hadn’t allowed an earned run all season. The Bearcats tagged him for six runs, four of which were earned.
“I think they looked at it as a challenge. I certainly don’t think they looked at it and … wondered how we were going to score runs,” Sinicki said. “Eventually [Garrett] lost a little bit of command, and we were able to take advantage of that.”
The second game of the doubleheader started out in the Bearcats’ favor, as they plated two runs in the top of the first. But their inability to drive in any of the 14 players they left on base proved harmful.
After Gamache drove in two on a double to give the Bearcats their lead, a solo home run and a pair of singles by the Keydets in the fourth inning tied the game at two.
BU had an opportunity to take the lead with the bases loaded in the seventh, but failed to score, and in the bottom of the inning, the Keydets would score the game’s deciding runs, winning the game, 4-2.
Sophomore Jake Cryts (1-2) took the mound for 6 2/3 innings of game two. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out four and walking none.
Junior pitcher Mike Kaufman got the spot-start in Sunday’s rubber match. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and four runs.
Binghamton scored in the first inning again, thanks to a triple from Bereszniewicz and an RBI double from senior second baseman Daniel Nevares, but failed to score for the remainder of the game and lost Sunday’s finale, 4-1.
VMI tied the game, 1-1, in its half of the frame on a couple of hits and an error. The hosts would score two more in the third on two base hits. Two Binghamton errors in the inning allowed Keydet base runners to advance. VMI would add a fourth run in the fifth on three hits.
Despite three errors in the game, Sinicki felt his defense actually played fine, and the errors on the pitchers in the third were the only costly defensive mistakes.
“From a defensive standpoint, I thought they were playing pretty well,” Sinicki said. “I just think that we did some things this weekend that are uncharacteristic, and we look to clean that up.”
Junior reliever Anthony Grillini struck out two batters and allowed no runs to score in his 2 1/3 innings of relief, and sophomore right-hander Mike Bunal struck out all four batters he faced.
The Bearcats will take on newly-added UMass Lowell to kick off America East play in 2014. They’re scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday and a third game on Sunday. Although UMass Lowell is the home team, field conditions will have the game moved to Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.
First pitch of Saturday’s day game is slated for noon at Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H.