In its first contest since March 16 after a series of postponements, the Binghamton baseball team headed back into action only to take a 6-2 loss at Bucknell. After having their series against Villanova canceled last weekend due to inclement weather, the Bearcats (4-9, 1-2 America East) sent eight pitchers to the mound in Tuesday’s contest in an effort to keep their arms fresh before conference play heats up.
“We didn’t throw any of our starters,” Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki said. “[The starters] threw bullpens over the weekend and inside during practice. Those guys that we use out of the bullpen needed to get some innings.”
After redshirt freshman Jacob Wloczewski pitched a scoreless first for BU, freshman Matt Gordon took to the mound for only 1/3 inning before surrendering four runs off of three hits to the Bison (14-7) for his first loss of the season.
However, down by 4-0 to start the fourth, the Bearcats pieced together a response. Senior outfielder Jake Thomas opened up the inning with a walk and junior infielder Reed Gamache then singled up the middle. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Eddie Posavec delivered an RBI single to bring in Thomas, effectively cutting the deficit to 4-1.
In the sixth, the Bison plated another run, extending their lead to 5-1. But Binghamton matched Bucknell in the seventh as Thomas drove in senior first baseman Brian Ruby to push the score, 5-2.
Even though it evened out the scoreboard, Ruby’s run wasn’t enough for Binghamton. The Bison put away an additional insurance run in the eighth to seal the final score, 6-2, in their favor.
For BU, the team’s downfall came through its inability to bring home its base runners. Appearing out of sync, the Bearcats connected for just two hits in 12 opportunities with runners in scoring position and left 10 men stranded.
“It’s very hard with the way the weather has affected us this year to get any kind of rhythm,” Sinicki said. “This time of year, our hitters need to see as many live pitches as they can possibly see and that only comes with playing.”
BU resumes America East play this weekend at UMBC. But for the Bearcats to find their groove going forward, they plan on focusing on their own play before that of their opponent.
“We don’t worry about who we play,” Sinicki said. “We just have to do the things we do to the best of our ability. We have to be a little more consistent in all three phases: offense, defense and pitching. If we do, I think we’ll have a shot at winning this weekend.”
BU is set to open play at UMBC with a single game on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday’s double-header is slated for 1 p.m. with the following game starting immediately after. All games will be held at The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC in Catonsville, Maryland.