The Binghamton University baseball team’s campaign to return to the NCAA tournament got off to a rough start this past weekend in Farmville, Virginia against Longwood University. The Lancers swept the Bearcats in the three-game series, who lost 9-8 in Game 1, 6-1 in seven innings in Game 2, and 8-5 in Game 3.
The bullpen cost the Bearcats (0-3) Games 1 and 3. Taking an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 1, the bullpen allowed five runs that inning. Longwood senior David Smiy Jr. hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. In Game 3, Binghamton held a 4-2 lead after four innings, but the bullpen allowed two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth, relinquishing the lead for good.
Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki explained that he will not stretch his starting pitchers too early in the season.
“I think the most alarming statistic from this [past] weekend is that our starting pitchers’ [earned run average] was 3.46, and the bullpen ERA was over 12.00,” he said. “That’s the big concern I have coming out of the weekend. We had leads in two of the three games, and we couldn’t hold [them] with our bullpen. At this time of year, we have our starting pitchers on very strict pitch counts. We’re not letting them throw over 60-70 pitches in the opening weekend. It’s a byproduct of the early season restrictions we place on our pitchers, in order to protect them for the entire season.”
Following the departures of Murphy Smith and Jeff Dennis from last year’s squad, there are voids to be filled at the front end of the rotation. One pitcher who’s expected to step up and be a frontline starter is junior James Giulietti.
Giulietti pitched excellently for the Bearcats in the season opener. He tossed five innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out three. He left the game with a 7-1 lead. Sinicki feels Giulietti can develop into the ace of the pitching staff.
“James has pitched a lot of innings for us,” he said. “He pitched well in the NCAA regional tournament last year. I think the reason he pitched the opening game for us this past weekend is that’s how we anticipate the season kind of playing out where he will be our No. 1. [Sophomore] Mike Augliera in Game 2 was solid as well, and I think those guys, right now, will probably continue to pitch 1 and 2 in some combination as we move into our schedule a bit.”
Augliera allowed three runs (two earned) in four innings in Game 2, giving up seven hits and one walk. He only received one run of support from his offense, as they fell flat in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Sinicki thinks his team was a bit dispirited after losing the lead in Game 1.
“I do think there was a tremendous momentum shift in Game 1 that spilled over into Game 2,” he said. “[Longwood] won the game in the bottom of the ninth, and I think we were a little down.”
Freshman starting pitcher Jay Lynch made his collegiate debut for the Bearcats in Game 3 on Sunday. Lynch gave up two runs in four innings of work, conceding two hits and four walks. He struck out two batters. It was an encouraging debut for Lynch, and Sinicki sees a lot of potential in him.
“Jay threw the ball really well in indoor workouts, which is why we gave him the start in Game No. 3,” he said. “Jay has very good composure and a very good makeup on the mound, along with very good stuff. His fastball, breaking pitch and changeup are all very good pitches. I do think he’s going to project as a frontline starter for us. I see him in the mix all season right behind James and Mike in that third starting spot. Based on his effort on [Sunday], we’ve got no reason to think otherwise at this point.”
Junior right fielder Corey Taylor was the offensive standout for the Bearcats, earning America East Player of the Week honors. In the three games, the slugger went 5-for-10 with one double, three RBI, three walks and three stolen bases. A first-team All-Conference selection last season, Taylor’s performance will affect the rest of the lineup.
“The guys will feed off of Corey,” Sinicki said. “I think he’s looked upon as a guy who will lead our offense, be a run producer and a big on-base guy for us. Corey played as we expect him to play all season.”
Binghamton is slated to play four games in a tournament at the University of Tennessee this weekend. They’re scheduled to play Kennesaw State University and Tennessee on Friday, Tennessee on Saturday, and Kennesaw State on Sunday. Sinicki will look to get his pitchers more comfortable for the tournament.
“We have to get better,” he said. “We’re going to talk to our pitchers, especially our bullpen guys, about roles and how to anticipate the situation they’re going to come into, and how they can execute their game plan a little bit better. It’s a big weekend ahead for us, and we hope come this weekend we’ll be better than we were this past weekend. The wins and losses may not show it, but as long as we feel like we’re improving, that’s what our main focus is going to be.”