If there were any doubt about the Binghamton softball team’s ability to repeat as America East (AE) champions in 2016, the Bearcats (19-9, 6-0 AE) dispelled it with their dominant play over the last two weeks. During that time period, the Bearcats amassed an 11-game winning streak and outscored their opponents, 108-27.
For BU head coach Michelle Burrell, the Bearcats’ impressive performance of late has been due to one important characteristic: consistency.
“I thought we started off inconsistent, especially during our preseason tournaments,” Burrell said. “I’ve just been really pleased with how we’ve started to put everything together.”
The Bearcats’ offense, which served as the cornerstone of the team’s come-from-behind victory in last year’s conference tournament, has also buoyed BU’s play this season. Binghamton leads the AE in batting average, hitting .322 in six conference games so far this year, and four of the top-10 hitters in the league are Bearcats. The ability to force runs across the plate has not just helped Binghamton blow out its opponents, winning three games during its winning streak by margins of 10 or more, but to find runs in key situations.
For Burrell, the versatility of her team’s offense stems from each of her players’ abilities to effect change at any given moment during any game.
“It’s important that we’ve got everybody contributing in our lineup as well as people coming in and playing an important role off our bench,” she said. “We feel really good about anybody in our lineup to either start us, to get something going or to be able to come up with that big hit and drive in some runs.”
In their conference-opening game against UMass Lowell (5-26, 0-6 AE), the Bearcats scored in every inning, peaking in the sixth with 10 runs to sink the River Hawks, 16-1. Binghamton also came out on top on Sunday afternoon in its final matchup with UMBC (16-20, 1-5 AE). After recording just two hits prior to the seventh inning, BU overtook the Retrievers, 3-2, on a timely single to left from junior outfielder Gabby Bracchi.
While the prowess of the Binghamton offense is well-known, the strength of its defense has thus far flown under the radar. After the Bearcats’ recent dominance, however, BU’s ability to keep runners off the bases will certainly be a focus of any opposing team’s scouting report.
The pitching staff, led by sophomore Sarah Miller and senior Cara Martin, has kept the Bearcats in the few games in which their offense failed to deliver.
“Both Sarah and Cara are just both giving us good leadership on the mound right now,” Burrell said. “I think both of them have been giving us really good starts to games and our defense as of late has been playing better behind them and not allowing for any extra opportunities.”
In Binghamton’s 13-0 victory over Niagara (2-18, 0-2 Metro Atlantic) last week, Miller tossed the first Binghamton no-hitter in seven years, retiring all 16 Purple Eagles who stepped to the plate, while striking out three.
Despite the recent success, the Bearcats believe that they can’t become complacent in their search for a second championship ring.
“We’re just focusing on the little things that we’ve found each game: situational plays, defensively,” Burrell said. “Offensively, there are a couple of base-running things we want to continue to work on so we can continue to put pressure on other teams.”
Binghamton is set to return to play on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Syracuse for a doubleheader. First pitch of the first game is set for 2 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York, with a second game following shortly after.