Opening its 2015 season at the Georgia Southern Tournament this weekend, the Binghamton softball team competed in five games over a three-day stretch, capturing two wins in the process.
BU (2-3) opened its season Friday against Boston College. The Eagles (7-3) took command of the game early, scoring four runs in the third inning. The Bearcats answered in the top of the fifth when junior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh hit an RBI double and eventually scored on a three-run triple by freshman pitcher Sarah Miller to tie the game. The score remained the same until the bottom of the seventh, at which point BC junior outfielder Megan Cooley scored the winning run for the Eagles on a sacrifice bunt. Miller pitched six innings, surrendering five runs in her collegiate debut.
“I thought Sarah did really well,” BU head coach Michelle Burrell said. “It was our first day playing outside, so I think our entire pitching staff was a little tight on the mound from nerves.”
The Bearcats concluded their first day of the season with a nightcap against host Georgia Southern (1-8). The two teams exhibited prolific offensive production, combining for a total of 33 runs and 30 hits. Freshman third baseman Kate Richard drove in three runs while Harbaugh scored three times and knocked in a pair. However, Georgia Southern’s offense provided to be more the potent, defeating BU, 21-12.
Binghamton earned its first win of the season the following day in defeating Campbell, 9-8. Heading into the third inning, the Bearcats trailed the Camels (5-2) by a score of 4-0. Freshman second baseman Stephanie Bielec sparked the comeback by putting down a bunt to cut the four-run deficit to three. Junior catcher Lisa Cadogan contributed an RBI double in the fourth inning, followed by an RBI single from junior first baseman Taylor Chaffee. Bielec and Harbaugh both stepped across home plate on a throwing error in the fifth. Then, in dramatic fashion, Miller lifted her team to a victory with a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Miller pitched 6.1 innings in the game for BU to complement her four RBI.
The Bearcats concluded their weekend series with a split doubleheader on Sunday. Binghamton endured another nail-biting loss to Boston College. Both teams showcased their batting skill early in the game, pumping the score to 5-5 by the end of the first inning. Binghamton took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the sixth, with RBI walks from junior infielder Griffin McIver and Harbaugh. But the lead would not last long for the Bearcats: The Eagles tied the score in the bottom half of the frame on a wild pitch, sealing a 13-11 victory by scoring two runs in the extra inning.
Binghamton concluded the weekend with a bounce back, 6-2 victory over Tennessee Tech (3-6). Miller earned the victory while allowing only two earned runs over 6.2 innings. Richard and freshman left fielder Jessica Rutherford both backed Miller with impressive offensive feats. Both Richard and Rutherford had three hits, and Rutherford also scored three times.
“We learned a lot from this weekend,” Burrell said. “I felt like we fought back in every game. There were obviously things we needed to improve, [but] we ended on a positive note against Tennessee Tech.”
Binghamton is set to return to action in the Arizona State Tournament this weekend. The Bearcats will again play five games over a three-day stretch, with doubleheaders scheduled for Friday and Saturday and a lone game on Sunday.
First pitch is set for 1 p.m Friday against University of Toledo at the Alberta B. Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.