After getting off to a rocky 0-6 start, the Binghamton University baseball team finally found its footing at this weekend’s Big 5 Bash in Philadelphia.
The Bearcats (3-7) chalked up their first win against St. Joseph’s University Friday afternoon with a 7-0 shutout. Villanova University fell to Binghamton too, in an intense 13-10 slugging match on Saturday.
Binghamton didn’t lose until Sunday — a close 2-1 defeat in the first game of a doubleheader against Temple University. But the Bearcats finished strong, capping the weekend with a 13-5 win over the Owls in the nightcap.
“It was just a matter of time before we found a way to win,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. “We played incredibly.”
The success started with Binghamton’s decisive 7-0 victory against St. Joe’s, BU’s first win of the year. Senior pitcher Mike Augliera pitched a nearly flawless game, giving up only three hits in nine innings. Augliera also struck out 11 batters and gave up no walks and was named America East Pitcher of the Week.
“It was as good a start as I’ve seen in 20 years at Binghamton,” Sinicki said of Augliera’s performance on Friday. “Mike was in command from the first pitch to the end of the game.”
After struggling to begin the season, Binghamton’s offense impressed on Friday, as the Bearcats totaled 13 hits in the game. Senior first baseman Dave Ciocchi led the lineup out of the cleanup spot, going 4-for-5 with two RBI.
“As we get more at-bats, as we see different pitches and pitchers, we’ll continue to improve,” Sinicki said. “It’s very difficult to simulate these things in practice, so it just takes time.”
Saturday’s exciting 13-10 win over Villanova was a showcase of the Bearcats’ newfound abilities. Binghamton tallied six runs on four hits in the first inning to take control of the game. The Bearcats continued to pile on runs, and eventually led 13-4 by the end of the sixth.
Though Villanova totaled 18 hits on the day, Binghamton’s 16 were more effective and brought the Bearcats their second win of the season. Sophomore shortstop John Howell helped lead the team to victory with four hits in five trips to the plate.
Sunday’s seven-inning opener against Temple proved to be more of a challenge for the Bearcats. Binghamton’s only run came in the form of a third-inning solo home run by freshman right fielder Zach Blanden — his first collegiate home run and Binghamton’s first of the season. Temple was able to push back with runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The game remained in reach for Binghamton until the seventh, where two consecutive strikeouts ended the game 2-1. Binghamton’s five hits simply weren’t enough.
But the Bearcats’ second game was a completely different story. Binghamton left Temple in the dust, scoring 13 runs on 17 hits in the first seven innings to Temple’s three. Each starter on the team recorded at least one hit. Junior second baseman Jordon Smucker picked up two RBI on a double in the sixth, bringing him to a total of eight RBI for the weekend. The Bearcats took the game 13-5.
Blanden seemed to be the fire starter for the team this weekend, batting an impressive .667 (6-for-9) over the last three games. Currently batting a team-leading .435 overall, the rookie posted an on-base percentage of .750 on the weekend.
Sinicki said he was more than “pleasantly surprised” with Blanden’s play over the weekend.
“[He] had a great weekend offensively,” he said. “He provided a big spark out of the nine spot.”
Sinicki also praised Binghamton’s pitching, saying that he thought all of the starters played very well. Overall, the team’s pitchers totaled 32 strikeouts in the 33 innings played.
Binghamton is next scheduled to head to Lehigh University this weekend for doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is set for noon on Saturday.