After a strong showing with wins over Brown University and Saint Mary’s at the Gael Classic held at Saint Mary’s on Feb. 27 and 28, the Binghamton University women’s softball team traveled down to Norfolk, Virginia, this weekend to compete in the Spartan Clash hosted by Norfolk State.

Despite a strong hitting effort from senior outfielder Sandy Meadows, the Bearcats struggled in Norfolk, dropping both games on Saturday and Sunday to fall to a record of 2-6 for the season.

Game one versus Norfolk State was a classic pitchers’ dual.

Sophomore Nicole Constantatos allowed only one run and three hits through the first five innings. Constantatos also contributed with the bat, going 1-for-3 with a single. Unfortunately it all unraveled in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Norfolk State came through with three runs off of three hits to pull ahead 4-0, which turned out to be the final score. Meadows led the Bearcats with two hits.

Game two against Delaware State was the most closely contested game for the Bearcats. Most of the game was a low-scoring battle, as Bearcats junior Cyrilla Suker shut down the Hornets, striking out nine batters through the first seven innings. Binghamton grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as junior Shannon McLeese singled, stole second, then scored on an error.

After giving up runs in the fifth and sixth innings, the Bearcats went into the bottom of the seventh inning facing a 2-1 deficit. Meadows continued her torrid hitting streak, reaching base on a single, then scoring on an error by Hornets pitcher Brittney Ruark to tie the game at two, forcing extra innings. Again the Bearcats faltered late as Delaware State put up five runs on three hits to go ahead 7-2. A late rally led by an RBI from Sophomore Kim Cleveland fell short as Delaware State held on for the 7-3 victory.

The Bearcats got off on the wrong foot in game three against local rival Colgate. After pitching a shutout in her first career start against Brown, freshman Kristen Emerling struggled against the Red Raiders, giving up five earned runs in one and two-thirds innings before being replaced by Suker. Colgate struck again with a two-run third inning and a seven-run fourth inning. Despite a five-run Bearcat rally in the fifth inning, led by a three-run home run from sophomore Kelly Schuldt, the game was ended at 14-6 in the fifth inning due to the eight-run mercy rule.

In spite of the loss, Constantatos had a big game for the Bearcats, this time with the bat, recording three hits in three at bats with an RBI. Meadows also added two hits for Binghamton.

Game four was a rematch of game two against Delaware State, unfortunately with the same result for the Bearcats.

After the hard-hitting performance against Colgate, Constantatos was called back to the pitchers mound against the Hornets. This time Constantatos struggled with the Hornets potent lineup though, giving up five earned runs in two and one-third innings. Her replacement, freshman Meghan Tucker struggled as well, giving up five earned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, leading to a 10-2 mercy-rule defeat in the sixth.

The Bearcat seniors stepped up at the plate despite the loss. Meadows had her fourth multi-hit game in the tournament, with two more hits and a run, and senior Michelle Olivieri added three singles and a run as well.

The team now has nearly two weeks off, before hitting the field on March 21 against Saint Francis University in the UMBC Spring Classic.