In its final regular-season series, the Binghamton baseball team did not need to win — it had already clinched the America East (AE) regular-season title a week before.
The Bearcats (27-23, 19-5 AE) could have rested their starting pitchers in preparation for next week’s conference tournament. They could have given a few at-bats to freshmen, who rarely appear on the lineup cards of conference series. Despite BU head coach Tim Sinicki’s insistence on quality play, the result of the series had no power to change Binghamton’s top ranking in the conference standings.
But in facing Maine at home, Binghamton had more to play for than most teams that had already clinched their conferences did. Going into the weekend, the Bearcats were the only Division I team in the country still undefeated at home. A 12-7 loss to the Black Bears (19-33, 8-15 AE) in the series finale, however, thwarted their sweep of the Black Bears and dashed their hopes of completing a perfect season at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
“It’s just like any other game; we just tried to win with the best lineup we can put out there,” Sinicki said.
In the final game, Binghamton carried a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Nick Gallagher faltered in relief of sophomore starter Nick Wegmann, however, allowing six runs off six hits to surrender BU’s lead. He failed to get out of the inning and was replaced by junior pitcher Nicholas Liegi.
After allowing another run in the sixth, the Bearcats pulled within two when sophomore designated hitter Jason Agresti homered to left. But BU’s hope for a comeback was erased by Black Bear junior catcher Kevin Stypulkowski, who crushed a three-run homer that landed far beyond the right-field fence.
On the mound, Gallagher struck out one in 1 2/3 innings and was tagged with the loss.
In the final home game of his collegiate career, senior third baseman David Schanz launched a three-run home run in the fourth, giving the Bearcats a lead heading into the sixth.
Senior second baseman Reed Gamache went 4-for-10 in the series, including a home run in game one of BU’s sweep of Friday’s doubleheader. Also in game one, redshirt junior Jake Cryts threw five innings of two-run ball in Binghamton’s 7-3 victory.
In game two, BU jumped out to an early lead off a solo home run from junior first baseman Brendan Skidmore in the first, which was quickly negated by a Maine two-run homer in the second. With runners on second and third, Schanz singled up the middle to score both runners. Two at-bats later, Schanz scored from third when Skidmore grounded out, putting Binghamton ahead, 4-2. Two scoreless innings from sophomore pitcher Jacob Wloczewski secured BU’s lead and fifth consecutive AE series victory.
“Coming into the weekend, we really tried to guard against a let down heading into next week,” Sinicki said.
Binghamton is the first AE squad to have lost only one game at home since Stony Brook in 2012, when the Seawolves went to the College World Series. Stony Brook’s sole defeat at home that season was a 5-2 loss to Binghamton.
In winning the regular-season championship, the Bearcats claimed the top seed in the AE Tournament, which is set to start on Wednesday at Edward A. LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Binghamton is scheduled to return to action on Thursday against the winner in the first-round matchup of No. 4 seed UMBC and No. 5 seed Albany.
The double-elimination tournament is set to conclude with the championship game on Saturday, after which the winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament