After a series loss in America East (AE) play to UMass Lowell, the Binghamton baseball team rebounded on Tuesday with a 10-3 win over Le Moyne. After a back-and-forth game, BU exploded for six runs in the eighth inning to come away with a 10-3 win against the Dolphins.
“Midweek wins are nice, but not as nice as weekend wins,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki. “I was happy that we were able to throw five different pitchers, and they all had some success. Anytime you take that approach where you use multiple pitchers it’s a little bit of a gamble, but overall I thought it was a good effort from us.”
Throughout the first half of the game, the Bearcats (13-15, 3-6 AE) and Dolphins (12-15, 8-6 Northeast), kept it close. Binghamton opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, courtesy of an RBI single from junior catcher Evin Sullivan to put Binghamton up 1-0. Binghamton added one run through the third, fourth and fifth innings while Le Moyne added two runs during the same frame. This began with a RBI double by graduate student first baseman Sam Haney. Then, in the fourth inning, an RBI single by junior outfielder Logan Haskell in the bottom of the fourth and a solo home run by senior outfielder Mike Gunning in the fifth made the score 4-2.
“All we’re trying to do right now is to play good baseball,” Sinicki said. “We didn’t play good baseball at times last weekend, but I felt we got back there on Tuesday.”
Binghamton found itself in some trouble in the top of the seventh inning when Le Moyne loaded the bases with no outs. Dealing with the most significant threat of the afternoon to that point, the Bearcats went to the bullpen. After freshman pitcher Jake Dally took the mound, he walked in a run but did not give up anymore after that. Dally then struck the next batter out and then got a fly-out-throw-out double play to end the threat and preserve a 4-3 lead.
“All the guys that threw Tuesday are bullpen arms,” Sinicki said. “When we play midweek games what I try to do is to give opportunities to players who didn’t pitch on the weekend. It’s a chance for them to improve their role on the team. Those guys who pitched Tuesday showed the ability to come in and throw strikes and do a good job.”
In the eighth inning, the Bearcats erupted for six runs. Binghamton would load the bases to start the inning. Haskell would then hit into a fielder’s choice, advancing the runners and sending one across the plate. Binghamton would get another run on a Le Moyne throwing error, making the score 6-3. The Bearcats then plated three more runs, one off of an RBI double by Gunning and two off of a single by senior first baseman Andrew Tan to make the score 10-3. Binghamton put away Le Moyne in order in the top of the ninth, securing their 13th win of the season.
“They helped us out in the eighth inning [and] we got a couple of hits as well,” Sinicki said. “That was the mentality, to try and give ourselves a little bit of breathing room, so that there wasn’t as much pressure on the pitchers going out there for the ninth. It’s easier to go out there when you have a multi-run lead as opposed to just a single-run lead.”
Binghamton’s opener, freshman pitcher Hayden Tarsia, went three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out three. In total, the Bearcat pitching staff struck out eleven throughout the game, while allowing three earned runs on six hits. Binghamton’s hitters would hit .385 on the day, only leaving four runners on base and striking out as a team only four times.
“Wins are good, you hope it gives the guys a little confidence and momentum heading into future games,” said Sinicki.
Binghamton will head back on the road for a three-game series against Bryant. The first pitch for the first game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday at Conaty Park in Smithfield, Rhode Island.