The Binghamton University softball team finished a perfect 4-0 this past weekend to claim the Delaware State Invite championship. The four wins bring the Bearcats to 8-5 on the season while maintaining a six-game win streak, the longest in Binghamton’s Division I era.

The Bearcats handled Rhode Island, Delaware State and St. Francis (PA) in round-robin play before shutting out St. Francis in the championship game, 7-0.

“I was really pleased. After the first game we were rusty,” said Bearcats head coach Michelle Burrell. “We did a really good job of putting everything together and started to play really solid defense. With help from our pitchers and our hitting, we really came along this weekend.”

So far this season, the consistency of the Bearcat pitchers has played a dominant role for the team. Day 1 of the invite was no different as freshman Rhoda Marsteller and sophomore Kristen Emerling each pitched complete games and only gave up one earned run combined.

“Our staff did a terrific job,” Burrell said. “They’re continuing to get better as the games go on. They are also feeding off of our defense and are really working hard for outs.”

The Bearcats beat Rhode Island 3-1 to open the tournament. Marsteller struck out 10 batters while giving up six hits and one run. Binghamton’s offense was led by freshman Jessica Phillips, who went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI.

In Game 2, Emerling scattered five hits and no walks with one run to guide BU to a 2-1 victory over Delaware State.

In the final game of round-robin play, Emerling went to the mound to continue her impressive play. Against St. Francis, the sophomore started the first five innings, allowing five hits and one run. Freshman Kate Price finished out the final two innings of work, preventing a Red Flash comeback and resulting in a 9-1 decision.

Offensively, BU took charge in the fifth inning off of three straight hits by Stephanie Deluca, Kelly Schuldt and Meghan Tucker, which resulted in four runs. Binghamton continued strong offensive play in the seventh off of a two-run triple by senior Stephanie Valencia.

The Bearcats defeated St. Francis in the championship game 7-0, to finish off a perfect weekend. BU started off early with a leadoff triple from sophomore Briana Andrews; she later scored off of a Phillips single. Schuldt then blasted a two-RBI single to finish the inning. The Bearcats didn’t stop there as they scored one run in the second and three in the third. Marsteller and Price combined for a one-hit shutout, with Marsteller pitching five innings and Price providing solid relief for two innings.

Marsteller was awarded with America East Rookie of the Week honors for her performance over the weekend. On the season, she has a 5-2 record with a 1.30 ERA.

After only 13 games, BU stands at a convincing 8-5. With conference play coming up next weekend, the Bearcats have already met and surpassed their win total from the 2009 season, in which they finished 7-36 overall.

“I think we are going to try to take this past weekend into this weekend,” Burrell said. “We still need to keep improving; we did a really good job tournament to tournament, so we need to continue to improve as the season goes along.”

The Bearcats are set to head to Poughkeepsie on Thursday to face Marist. The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.