The Binghamton University softball team got off to a solid start to kick off its 10th year as a Division I program. The Bearcats boast a 2-2 record after taking second place at the Stetson University Tournament in DeLand, Fla.
The squad managed to hit six home runs during the weekend-long campaign, with an offense powered by sophomore outfielder Jessica Phillips, who homered twice and leads the Bearcats with a .545 batting average. Sophomore outfielder Shannon Kane, who is second on the team in batting average, tied the highest single-game total in hits by a Binghamton player since senior caption Deannie Plemon last year, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one run scored in the Bearcats’ 2-0 victory over Elon University.
“Shannon, she worked really hard in the offseason and came in during the fall and did a good job there and continued to do a good job during the winter,” said Binghamton head coach Michelle Burrell. “I thought she did a fantastic job keeping composure and showed really good poise in the box.”
Burrell also had good things to say about Phillips.
“Jess was really good,” Burrell added. “She was very consistent throughout the tournament. After the first game she really settled down and had really good at-bats after that.”
Junior pitcher Kristen Emerling led the pitching staff during the opening weekend, holding opponents in check with a 1.40 ERA.
“She got in some tough situations throughout the game and was able to work out of them,” Burrell said of Emerling. “She had really good composure and I thought we played pretty good defense behind her … Even with some tight spots and under some intense situations she really did a good job getting out of it.”
Recently, Binghamton’s upcoming opponent George Mason has been inconsistent. The squad participated in the Patriot Classic Tournament this past weekend where it went 1-1, falling to Rider University 4-1 and defeating Cornell University 2-1 in a game that came down to the wire. George Mason starter junior Miranda Cranford out-dueled Cornell starter Elizabeth Dalrymple. Cranford put in seven innings of work, gave up one earned run and five hits. Junior infielder Rachael Davies secured the win with a walk-off double, putting the Patriots on top. Mason’s sophomore infielder Reagan Doiron is leading the offensive charge with a team-leading .333 batting average, and is also second on the team to junior Katie Rynex in RBI with four.
Freshman Kelsey Byrd is George Mason’s No. 1 starter, totaling a 2-2 record with a 1.75 ERA in 24 innings of work.
With only two games under its belt this season, 2010 Ivy League champion Cornell University will return to Fairfax with its most recent loss being to none other than George Mason University. In Cornell’s last two games, junior infielder Katie Watts has led the Big Red in batting average, batting .400. Freshman catcher Christina Villalon has the team’s lone home run of the two-game season against George Mason, which was also the squad’s only run of the game.
The squad’s pitching staff is led by senior Ali Tomlinson, who got the win in Cornell’s 7-0 victory over Rider University. Tomlinson pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two hits and striking out one in her first victory of the season.
Last year’s Patriot League Champion, Bucknell University, has gotten off to a slow start, losing its last eight games, during which it was outscored by its opponents 38-13. Bucknell’s most recent tournament was two weeks ago in Farmville, Va., where it dropped all four of its games to Stony Brook University, Quinnipiac University and host Longwood University.
Bucknell’s sophomore pitcher Alex MacLean has been successful despite her team’s slow start. MacLean holds a respectable 2.08 ERA alongside her 1-5 record.
The Bearcats are set to travel to Fairfax, Va., where the George Mason Tournament is scheduled to begin today and finish on Sunday.
“We are looking to score more in every game and score early so that we are not waiting until the fifth, sixth, seventh inning to score all of our runs. After this past weekend we are going to look to be more consistent throughout every game,” Burrell said.
The Bearcats are scheduled to kick off the weekend at 4:30 p.m. today against Bucknell University (1-9), who they will play again at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. They are set to play host George Mason University (5-4) of the Colonial Athletic Association at 10 a.m. tomorrow and at 3:45 p.m. Sunday and Cornell University (1-1) of the Ivy League at 11:15 a.m. Sunday.