The Binghamton women’s softball team continued their America East (AE) conference play, sweeping Maine in a three-game set this past week. Then, on Wednesday, the Bearcats took on UMass Lowell in a doubleheader, winning both games.
”It was a long weekend trying to beat the weather,” wrote Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “I was happy with how the girls stayed focused during an abnormal schedule of playing Sunday [and] Monday.”
On Sunday, BU’s (27-10, 9-2 AE) first game against Maine (3-29, 1-11 AE) saw a pitcher’s duel. Binghamton put two runs on the board in the first inning, courtesy of a two-RBI double from sophomore pitcher Brianna Roberts. Roberts then shut the Black Bears down on the mound for the rest of the game, spinning a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts as Binghamton won 2-0.
“[Roberts] has been locked in and in attack mode on both sides of the ball,” Bump wrote. “She is a confident player and has an extra heat that she gets into. We’ve been very happy with how she’s playing, and I love seeing her compete.”
In the second game of the series, Maine struck first with three runs in the top of the third. Binghamton came right back in the bottom of the inning, exploding for seven runs off of five hits. The Bearcats tacked on two runs in the fourth and three runs in the sixth, while holding the Black Bears to just two more runs the rest of the way. Binghamton would go on to win 12-5.
“We are definitely a team that rides on momentum,” Bump wrote. “We can have big innings at any point in the game, and after we scored we relaxed a little and finished the game strong.”
The series finale saw a low-scoring affair, as the Bearcats completed the sweep with a 3-0 victory. Senior pitcher Allison L’Amoreaux went the distance, shutting the Black Bears out once again. She gave up just three hits and struck out 10 in seven innings of work. BU’s offense came in the third inning when L’Amoreaux also mashed a two-run home run to go along with her sparkling performance on the mound, and freshman utility Maddy Dodig tacked on an RBI single.
“[L’Amoreaux] is riding high right now and truly just having fun finishing up her career,” Bump wrote. “She’s an electric player to watch and has a great presence right now on both sides of the ball.”
On Wednesday, BU traveled to UMass Lowell to take on the River Hawks in a doubleheader. Neither team accomplished much in the first two innings, but the Bearcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the third with a grand slam from L’Amoreaux. Despite a late comeback by the River Hawks in the seventh — where they plated two — Binghamton held on for a 4-2 victory.
“We just told the girls to go out there and lock in the game,” Bump wrote. “[UMass Lowell] had the two-run home run with two outs, but we responded well and induced a groundout to close it out.”
To start the second game of the doubleheader, UMass Lowell opened up the scoring with a run in the first inning. After the next four innings remained scoreless, BU plated three runs in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. The River Hawks would respond in the bottom of the sixth with two runs, evening the score at 3-3.
“We put the ball in play harder and made them make a few mistakes,” Bump wrote. “Lowell tied the game and then [senior utility Shelby Carvalho] had the big blow and then [sophomore pitcher Olivia Kennedy] finished the game strong in the seventh.”
Carvalho gave the Bearcats a one-run lead with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Kennedy held the River Hawks scoreless in the bottom of the inning to secure the 4-3 victory for Binghamton. With the win, Binghamton extended its winning streak to 12 games.
“We are a tough team to play right now,” Bump wrote. “Our depth is overly impressive and the girls are competing and supporting each other like we never have before. It’s been fun to watch from a coach’s perspective and I’m excited to see how we finish off this last half of conference play.”
The Bearcats will travel to UAlbany for a three-game series starting on Saturday, April 20. First pitch is at a time to be decided at UAlbany Field in Albany, New York.