A seventh-inning rally by Maryland spoiled the Binghamton softball team’s shot at a perfect weekend at the Miken Invitational. The Bearcats (4-8), who beat St. John’s 6-3 and Radford 4-3 on Saturday, fell to the Terrapins 10-9 (6-14) on Sunday in Maryland.
Binghamton struck early against the Red Storm (5-15-1), using a bases-loaded double by freshman catcher Taylor Chaffee to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
BU senior pitcher Rhoda Marsteller allowed a solo home run to senior shortstop Chrissy Montez in the following frame, and St. John’s pushed across two more runs on a third-inning double to tie the score. But the Bearcats scored a run in each of the last three innings to take the 6-3 win.
Marsteller finished with three earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work. She fanned seven and walked one en route to her first win of the season.
BU scored the go-ahead run on a single by freshman centerfielder Sydney Harbaugh, while freshman first baseman Lisa Cadogan hit the first of her three weekend homers in the sixth. No other Bearcat has homered in three-straight games since senior left fielder Jessica Phillips belted homers in five consecutive games in 2011, the year she shared the America East Player of the Year award. Cadogan was named America East Rookie of the Week for her performance.
With Chaffee delivering the bases-clearing double and Cadogan, Harbaugh and freshman Tiffany McIntosh posting the team’s top three batting averages, Binghamton’s rookies have played a crucial role in the season’s opening weeks.
“I think they’ve done a great job so far, and I think they’re just gaining more confidence and getting more comfortable,” Binghamton head coach Michelle Burrell said. “From the start, they’ve done a great job stepping into starting positions as freshmen, and I think they’re going to continue to improve and continue to help us.”
In the nightcap, Binghamton junior pitcher Demi Laney allowed a two-run homer in the first inning to give Radford a 2-0 lead. But the Bearcats scored a run in the fourth, and Cadogan’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Binghamton a 3-2 edge.
Radford responded with a run in the top of the sixth to tie the score, which would remain knotted until Highlander senior second baseman Jessica Agee committed an eighth-inning error with the bases loaded. Harbaugh put the ball in play, and Binghamton sophomore shortstop Caytlin Friis scored the game-winning run.
Burrell said that while her team had fallen into lulls in previous tournaments, not putting pressure on opposing defenses, BU kept the heat on Radford up until the walk-off error.
“I felt like we were in control the entire game,” she said. “Even when we did give up that [game-tying] run, we felt confident going into extra innings.”
Against Maryland, a pair of third-inning homers off Laney gave the Terrapins a 4-1 lead. But the Bearcats responded with a seven-run fourth to build an 8-4 advantage.
With one out and runners on second and third, junior third baseman Mikala King delivered a three-run shot, and an ensuing slew of singles allowed Binghamton to tack more runs onto the board.
Trailing Binghamton 9-5 in the seventh inning, Maryland rallied for a walk-off win. The Terrapins did not record an extra-base hit in the inning, though senior outfielder Nikki Maier was thrown out at second as she tried to advance to the base on a throw home. It was Binghamton’s only out of the inning.
With one out and the game-winning run standing on third, Maryland junior first baseman Mandy Gardner punched a single through the left side of the infield to clinch the victory, 10-9.
“We’re a little disappointed because we know we could have swept through the tournament,” Burrell said. “But I think we definitely showed some improvement in areas that we wanted to see.”
The Bearcats are set to return to game action on Friday against Detroit at the JMU Dukes Softball Invitational. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va.