The Binghamton softball team continued its season this weekend at the Make It Happen Games Tournament in Madeira Beach, Florida, going 5-0 over the course of the three-day tournament, outscoring their opponents 18-10.

“It was a great weekend of gritty wins,” wrote Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “All were close games and we were happy to be faced with some adversity and fight back.”

Binghamton (10-5) started its tournament strong on Friday, with two wins over Butler (11-5) and Bellarmine (4-7). The Bearcats took advantage of defensive miscues by Butler, scoring their first run on a triple steal and two insurance runs on two Butler errors. While Butler tacked on two runs of their own in the seventh inning, BU held on to win 3-2 as junior pitcher Brianna Roberts pitched all seven innings, allowing just six hits and striking out seven.

Binghamton parlayed the win into momentum for their second game against Bellarmine. The Bearcats struck hard early, scoring three runs in the first including a sacrifice flyout by junior catcher Emma Lawson. The Knights plated one run in the fourth, but the game ended in a 3-1 Binghamton victory. Junior pitcher Olivia Kennedy pitched all seven innings for the Bearcats, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four.

The second day of the tournament began with Binghamton facing off against Bethune-Cookman (6-16). The Bearcats’ contest against the Wildcats turned out to be a pitchers’ duel, with the game going scoreless into the fifth. Binghamton was the one to break the ice, scoring once in the fifth off a Wildcat error and once in the seventh off of an RBI single by graduate student utility player Lindsey Walter. Bethune-Cookman was unable to muster any offense, and the game ended in a 2-0 Binghamton victory. Roberts spun a complete game shutout for the Bearcats, allowing four hits and striking out seven.

Binghamton’s rematch against Bellarmine to close day two played out completely different from their first matchup. The Knights blasted solo home runs in the first and second innings to take an early 2-0 lead, handing the Bearcats their first deficit of the weekend. Binghamton quickly struck back, with Lawson driving a run via an RBI groundout and freshman infielder Rachel Carey launching a two-run homer in the third to give the Bearcats a 3-2 lead — a score that held for the rest of the game.

Binghamton’s final game was a Sunday morning rematch against Butler. The game turned into a shootout, and the Bulldogs opened the scoring in the third with a two-run homer. The Bearcats responded in the fourth and the fifth, with sophomore infielder Elisa Allen hitting a three-run homer and Lawson launching a two-run homer to put Binghamton on top 5-2. Butler responded in their half of the sixth, tying the game at five, but the Bearcats had the last laugh as Allen launched another two-run homer in the eighth, giving the Bearcats a 7-5 win and tournament sweep.

“[Roberts] had an unbelievable weekend and really took her intensity to a new level in some tough situations,” Bump wrote. “Our offense is coming along, and it was good to see some good at-bats and two out RBIs under pressure.”

The Bearcats ended the tournament 5-0 with a run differential of plus eight. As a team, Binghamton pitched to a team ERA of 2.25 while hitting a combined .240 over the weekend.

The Bearcats will be back in action next weekend at the James Madison Invitational, with their first matchup against Fordham on Friday, March 7. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.