The Binghamton University baseball team blasted a combined 14 home runs in its sweep of Hartford at Fiondella field this weekend.
The Bearcats (20-18, 11-3 America East) dominated Hartford (8-28, 2-12 AE), taking both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, 4-1 and 26-8 respectively. The offense did not slow down as the Bearcats won both of Sunday’s games 16-5 and 20-8, placing them at the top of the conference.
‘I think it’s nice to be in first place anytime during the year, but in reality it only matters at the end of the year, so I think it’s good for our guys’ confidence,’ Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki said. ‘It’s nice, something to get excited about, but at the same time we know we still have some work to do with three conference weekends ahead of us.’
Binghamton’s junior ace James Giulietti delivered another stellar performance in Game 1 of the four-game series. Giulietti pitched 7.0 innings, giving up only three hits and one unearned run, which came in the seventh inning. He struck out five and lowered his conference ERA to 0.32 with a 4-0 record in four starts. He earned AE Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance.
Junior center fielder Henry Dunn started the offense early for Binghamton with a home run to left field in the first inning. Three more runs in the third inning secured the Bearcats’ 4-1 win. Shortstop Jeff Abrams and second baseman Jim Calderone, both seniors, contributed an RBI single apiece. Junior catcher C.J. Lukaszewski drove in one run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
On the mound for the Bearcats in Game 2 was sophomore righty Mike Augliera. Augliera pitched seven innings, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits. He held Hartford at five before freshman reliever Lee Sosa gave up three runs on two hits in a span of one inning. Sophomore Walker McKinven pitched the last inning and gave up two hits. Augliera recorded the win.
The offense came out early in the first inning. Junior left fielder Corey Taylor blasted a three-run homer to left field. The Bearcats’ bats heated up in the second inning with an eight-run attack. Calderone and sophomore first baseman Dave Ciocchi each had an RBI single. Taylor continued to deliver with a two-run double, followed by junior right fielder and AE Player of the Week Peter Bregartner’s two-run triple. Bregartner finished with a .600 average, two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored for the week. Senior designated hitter Joe Charron and freshman third baseman Joel Stubbs each provided an RBI. Stubbs added another two RBI with a two-run shot in the fourth inning.
Hartford was not able to surpass Binghamton’s offense as the bats attacked again in the fifth inning, extending the Bearcat lead with seven more runs. Ciocchi, Calderone and Dunn all homered, driving in a total of five runs. Taylor and Bregartner scored two runs on wild pitches. The home runs did not stop as freshman third baseman Mike Thompson, pinch-hitting for Stubbs, drilled a three-run homer in the sixth inning and a solo shot in the eighth. Thompson took home AE Rookie of the Week honors after hitting .500 and driving in six runs for the week. In the end, Binghamton had pulled out a 26-8 win.
‘Our guys did a great job staying focused. We didn’t see the greatest pitching this weekend, but sometimes poor pitching can put guys in a funk, too, and our guys just did a good job evaluating who was out [on] the mound and really doing a good job performing at a very very high level, so I was very pleased with the way they performed,’ Sinicki said.
The team recorded a school-record seven home runs in Saturday’s second game, which was matched in Game 2 on Sunday.
Freshman righty Jay Lynch pitched a full seven innings in Sunday’s opener, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
The Bearcats started off slow, trailing 4-1 until the bats flared up in the fourth inning. Abrams’ double started off the inning. Dunn and Ciocchi each followed with a double, knocking in a combined three runs. Dunn, Ciocchi, Taylor and Bregartner each contributed an RBI single in the fifth inning to extend the Bearcats’ lead to 9-4. Hartford’s only response was a home run off Lynch in the bottom of the fifth.
The Bearcats continued their offensive onslaught with seven more runs in the seventh inning, securing Lynch’s 16-5 win. Dunn was walked home before Ciocchi added another three RBI to get a career, and game-high, six RBI with a double to right center.
In Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Bearcats dominated with seven homers, two each by Dunn and Bregartner. Dunn drilled a solo shot in the fifth inning before blasting a grand slam in the sixth inning. Bregartner started the offense, going long in the second inning, and ended it with one more solo shot in the sixth inning. Bregartner finished the day with three RBI. Taylor also recorded a two-run homer in the sixth, adding on to his one-run single in the fourth.
Calderone and Ciocchi each had solo shots in the third and fourth innings, respectively, contributing to the 20-8 victory.
Binghamton sent out freshmen Joe Swindells, who delivered five innings of work. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits and picked up another win for the Bearcats. Swindells was relieved by junior Zach Juliano, senior Matt Simone and sophomore Alex Adami.
Sinicki feels his team has room for improvement heading into its final three series.
‘We can get better in all areas. We can do a better job in situational hitting, our defense can get better, we can pitch better,’ Sinicki said. ‘We are not satisfied by any means.’
Binghamton is scheduled for a four-game series against Albany this weekend at Varsity Field. Saturday and Sunday’s doubleheaders are each set for a noon start.