The Binghamton University softball team has endured more than its fair share of close losses, failing to net a single America East Conference victory.
That changed on Saturday.
Junior Cyrilla Suker pitched a gem while sophomores Deannie Plemon and Kelly Schuldt gave the Bearcats their first AE win of the year in the first game of a three-game series at Hartford this past weekend.
Binghamton entered the weekend with a 0-15 record in conference play, with five of those games being decided by two runs or less.
Saturday’s first game had a different feel for Binghamton, though. After a scoreless first inning, the Bearcats took the early lead in the top of the second inning. Junior Stephanie Kolodziejski got the rally started with a single up the middle. Sophomore Kim Cleveland added another single, and after a balk by Hawks pitcher Brittney Stratton, Schuldt unloaded on her team-leading fifth home run of the year, giving the Bearcats a 3-0 advantage.
Binghamton tacked on another run in the top of the third when Plemon connected for her third home run of the season with two outs off of Stratton to give the Bearcats a 4-0 lead.
After getting the four-run cushion from her lineup, Suker was nearly perfect. The junior went the distance against Hartford, pitching the complete game and allowing only three hits and one run while striking out 15. Her only blemish was an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Suker even closed Binghamton’s first conference victory with emphasis, as she managed to get the last three Hawks batters to strike out swinging in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Unfortunately, Binghamton’s success in Game 1 did not translate to the next two games of the series.
The Bearcats got off on the wrong foot in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader, as Hartford grabbed the 1-0 lead in the first inning off of the Bearcats’ freshman pitcher Meghan Tucker.
Tucker, who also profiles as an outfielder for the Bearcats, continued to struggle on the mound in the second inning, as the Hawks tacked on four more runs on four hits before she was replaced by freshman Kristen Emerling.
As the Bearcats’ pitching staff struggled, Hartford freshman Siera Sheehan, who resides in Binghamton, excelled on the mound. The Chenango Valley High School graduate frustrated the Bearcats’ lineup to the tune of three hits in five innings while striking out seven batters.
The game was ended in the bottom of the fifth as Hartford scored a run off of Emerling, which brought the lead to 8-0 and enacted the eight-run mercy rule on the Bearcats.
The rubber match of the series featured a rematch between Suker and Stratton. This time Stratton got the upper hand when, in the bottom of the third inning, Hartford broke open a scoreless duel with a six-run inning, featuring a three-run triple from Hawks senior outfielder Kristen Cericola.
The six-run cushion was enough for Stratton, who brought a no-hitter into the top of the seventh inning when Plemon played the role of spoiler for the Bearcats, connecting on her fourth home run of the year. But that was the Bearcats’ only run of the contest as Stratton held on for the 6-1 victory.
The Bearcats now stand at 6-32 (1-17 AE), while Hartford improved to 18-19 (9-7). Binghamton only has two series left in the season, as they are scheduled to travel to Niagara University for a non-conference doubleheader tomorrow before finishing up at home this weekend against Boston University in a three-game series.