The Binghamton softball team collected three wins and only one loss at the James Madison Invitational over the weekend, impressing both offensively and defensively.
“Hitting all the way through our lineup and the depth that we have on our bench has really helped make us successful,” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said. “We felt pretty good about the amount of runs we scored and what we did offensively.”
Friday’s game against Robert Morris started off shakily for the Bearcats (5-4) as they quickly sank to a 4-0 deficit after the first half inning. Undeterred, BU chipped away, putting two runs on the board in each of the next three innings to take the lead. Senior catcher Lisa Cadogan and junior outfielder Gabby Bracchi singled home two runs in the second and third innings, respectively. The Colonials (2-11) came back with a run in the fourth, but junior shortstop Crysti Eichner responded with a solo home run later that inning. Senior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh eventually closed the door for the Colonials, knocking in two runs in the fifth and a hitting a three-run homer the following frame to secure Binghamton’s 15-5 rout.
BU’s offense pressed on into the second day of the tournament as the Bearcats picked up yet another win from Robert Morris right before taking down Saint Joseph’s (4-6).
In the first game, the Bearcats found themselves tied at three at the end of the second inning. They promptly reminded the Colonials of their offensive abilities, posting 11 runs on the scoreboard in the third inning alone. BU batted through the order in one inning, giving Eichner the chance to knock in two runs in two separate at-bats. Senior catcher Taylor Chaffee pushed three across the plate as well. Junior pitcher Shelby Donhauser collected her first win of the season as the Bearcats tacked on another 15-5 win.
Eichner and the rest of BU’s lineup didn’t let up in the second game of the day against St. Joseph’s University. After falling behind early on in the game yet again, the BU offense erupted, scoring six runs in the first inning. Eichner spearheaded the rally with a two-RBI triple. She went on to crush a two-run homer over the center field wall in the following inning. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Miller improved her record to 3-3 as the Bearcats capped the second day of the tournament with an 8-3 win.
Eichner went 4-for-6 with a home run and six RBIs on the day. She is now batting .313 for the season after driving in a career-high four RBIs against St. Joseph’s. Burrell was pleased with her shortstop’s performance.
“I think she’s doing a good job,” Burrell said. “We don’t expect or need her to have performances like [Saturday’s] every single weekend, but we obviously like how she’s contributed to the offensive and hope that she can keep that up throughout the season.”
Eichner carried her hot bat into Sunday’s game against Toldeo (2-10), but to little avail. BU lost momentum, ultimately concluding its series with a 9-6 loss. Miller’s record dropped to 3-4 while Eichner went 3-for-4 on the day.
“I thought we were doing a good job as far as playing every inning and playing every game until the end,” Burrell said.” I felt really good about that.”
BU has the next two weeks off, in which Burrell is looking for the team to continue to build on last weekend’s strong performance.
“[We will] work on individual fundamentals while also working together as a team,” she said.
Binghamton is set to return to action against Stetson at the Stetson Tournament starting Friday, March 11. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, Florida.