Over the weekend, the Binghamton baseball team took on Virginia Military Institute in a three-game series. After dropping the first two games to the Keydets, the Bearcats pulled off a ninth inning rally in the final game on Sunday to win 8-7.

“The team showed a lot of character against a really good ball club,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki.

The Bearcats (3-6) started off fast in game one of the series, scoring two runs in the first inning, while the Keydets (6-5) only answered with one run in the bottom of the first. However, Binghamton was only able to score one more run until the eighth. VMI took advantage and drove in 13 runs for the game, including seven in the seventh inning. BU attempted to come back in the eighth with a rally of its own. The inning started with a single from sophomore infielder Andrew Tan which culminated with a three-run home run from sophomore outfielder Tommy Reifler to bring the score to 13-7. The Bearcats managed two more runs in the game, but it was not enough, and the team fell 13-9.

“We scored some runs late and tried to come back, but we ended up just a little short,” Sinicki said.

In the second game, VMI came out of the game with a hot bat, scoring six runs to BU’s zero through the first three innings. Binghamton got on the board in the fourth after junior outfielder Colin Mason drove a single down to right field to bring freshman infielder Devan Bade home. The Bearcats failed to score a single run for the rest of the game, leaving 10 base runners stranded over the course of the contest. The Keydets continued piling on runs, taking game two 13-1.

“I thought [VMI] had probably the most balanced and most disciplined offense we’ve faced and really made our pitchers work all three days,” Sinicki said. “In the long run it’s going to make our pitchers a lot better.”

For the final game, the Bearcats came out hot just as in their first outing, scoring two runs in the first inning thanks to freshman catcher Evin Sullivan hitting a double to left field and allowing junior infielder Cavan Tully to score. Tan later came in the lineup and hit a double to drive in Sullivan.

“It was great to see the guys,” Sinicki said. “We got a lot of life on the bench, a lot of life in the dugout. Guys were excited … The guys who came up in the ninth did a great job setting the table.”

Binghamton then fell in a hole, trailing by three runs going into the ninth inning. However, the Beatcats’ bats caught fire and the rally began when senior shortstop Jake Evans reached home plate on an error. The rally was complete when Tan put a three-run double into center field to take the lead. Sophomore pitcher Justin Rosner put away the side in the bottom of the inning to close out the game for an 8-7 BU victory.

“[Tan] is getting the chance to play first base right now because of an injury in the program, he’s working as hard as he can to make it work for him and the team,” Sinicki said. “He’s working every day in practice to make the most out of his opportunities and I’m really happy for him to be able to deliver today with the game winning hit.”

The Bearcats are scheduled to face Alabama for a three-game series starting on Friday, March 11 and ending on Sunday, March 13. First pitch of game one is set for 7 p.m. at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.