After taking down Cornell in a single-game matchup on Tuesday, Binghamton baseball swept Bryant in three games this weekend, including a Saturday doubleheader, extending its win streak to 11 straight games. The Bearcats’ bats were hot for much of the series, collectively hitting seven home runs in the series.

“To try to put yourself in a good situation at the end of the year, you try to hope to win every series,” said head coach Tim Sinicki. “And so being able to win three against that team and in a variety of different ways — Friday was certainly different than Saturday. I’m really proud of the way our guys found ways to get the job done and to get all three wins.”

The Bulldogs (19-18, 7-8 AE) were quick to get on the board in game one, going up 1-0 thanks to a wild pitch. Their lead wouldn’t last long, however, as sophomore catcher Tommy Popoff hit a home run to put the Bearcats (21-13, 12-3 AE) up 2-1. Sophomore outfielder Matt Bolton tacked on to Binghamton’s lead in the third with a sacrifice fly, making it a 3-1 ballgame.

In the fifth inning, Bryant threatened the Bearcat lead with a sacrifice fly of their own. However, sophomore infielder Sean Sweeney cushioned Binghamton’s lead with an RBI single in the eighth, eventually leading to a 4-2 Bearcat victory.

“I just don’t know if we’re playing our best baseball right now, I think we’re capable of more,” Sinicki said. “But I do think we’re a very tough team. I think it’s a great characteristic for any team to have, but our guys are really tough and they battle through some rough innings, whether it’s on the mound or in the field or the batter’s box, and they’re able to put it in the past quickly and move on.”

Game two proved to be a slugfest, with Bryant opening the game with a three-run homer in the first. Bolton answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, but two more homers from the Bulldogs in the second put them in the lead at 6-1. Senior infielder Mike Stellrecht hit Binghamton’s second homer of the day, bringing the Bearcats right back into the game and cutting their deficit to two.

Sophomore outfielder Braylen Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the fourth, but an RBI double from Bryant kept them up by two. Binghamton responded with a massive fifth inning, where they scored seven runs to take a 12-7 lead, highlighted by a grand slam from Sweeney. Bryant had yet another homer in the top of the sixth, but Popoff responded with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, leading to the Bulldogs losing 13-9 after seven innings.

“They scored some runs early on us in both of the games [Saturday],” Sinicki said. “And then when we had to go to the bullpen, those guys did a pretty good job, but the offense realized it was their turn to maybe contribute in a big way and they sure did.”

Game three looked to be more of the same, as Bryant quickly hit back-to-back home runs to go up 2-0 in the first, while a double from the Bulldogs in the third inning gave them a 3-0 lead. A stolen home plate in the fourth put Bryant up by four and another home run in the seventh made it 5-0.

Binghamton finally retaliated in the bottom of the inning, scoring eight runs in a rally closed out by a homer from senior infielder Zack Kent. Bryant answered with another pair of home runs, making it an 8-7 game, but the Bearcats held off any further attempts at a rally as they won their 11th-consecutive game.

“We bent a lot, but we haven’t broken in the last 11 games,” Sinicki said. “And it’ll come to an end at some point, but for now we’re just going to enjoy it and try to capture that momentum and just keep moving on to the next ballgame.”

Binghamton’s next action will be in a one-game matchup against Cornell on Tuesday, April 21. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.