Sandy Meadows has been the leader of the Binghamton University softball team this season. The senior outfielder is among the team leaders in virtually every offensive category, including hits, batting average and runs.
So it was not a surprise that with the game on the line against Boston University on Saturday, Meadows came through with the game-winning double over the America East’s second-best team.
The Bearcats were playing for pride this weekend as they had been eliminated from the America East Conference playoff race. Boston University, on the other hand, was fighting for a regular season title, just one game behind Stony Brook.
Junior Cyrilla Suker got the start for Binghamton in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, giving up three runs in a complete game effort. Game 1 turned out to be a duel of pitchers as senior Cassidi Hardy also went the distance for the Terriers.
Boston University got on the board in the top of the second inning with a two-run home run from senior Nora Militz. Binghamton answered in the bottom of the third when sophomore Kelly Schuldt hit her team-leading sixth home run to pull the Bearcats within one.
The game remained at 2-1 until the top of the seventh when the Terriers picked up an insurance run from a Caitlin Rentler solo home run. Hardy weathered a leadoff single from sophomore Stephanie DeLuca to retire the next three Bearcat batters in order and seal the 3-1 victory.
Boston University jumped out early on freshman pitcher Kristen Emerling in Game 2 with a two-run double from Militz in the top of the first. The Terriers went up 3-0 in the top of the third with a sacrifice RBI from senior Christy Leath.
But the Bearcats struck back in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Meghan Tucker got the Bearcats on the board with a sacrifice RBI that brought in Schuldt. Sophomore Deannie Plemon tied the game later in the inning with a two-out single that brought in Meadows and junior Shannon McLeese.
The game stayed tied at three until the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshman Chelsea Horne got the inning off on the right foot with a leadoff double. After a Schuldt fly out, Meadows came to the plate, and ripped a double to right-center, scoring Horne and sealing the victory for the Bearcats.
After a rocky start, Emerling was nearly perfect for the Bearcats, giving up only two hits after the third inning and getting the complete game victory.
“We had great pitching and defense and timely hitting, and when that happens, you win,” said Bearcats head coach Ali Brian after the game, according to a Binghamton University press release.
Boston University got redemption in Sunday’s Game 3. The Terriers broke open the game in the top of the second inning with a nine-run blitz, which was aided by four Bearcat errors. Binghamton managed just one hit on Sunday, a Plemon single in the second inning.
After Boston University added two more insurance runs in the top of the third inning, the mercy rule was put into effect, and the game was ended after the fifth inning with the Terriers securing the 11-0 victory.
This marks the end of the season for Binghamton. The Bearcats finished with a 7-36 record (2-19 America East), which put them in seventh place in the America East Conference. The 2009 squad had two seniors, Meadows and Michelle Olivieri.
Besides leading the Bearcats in a number of statistical categories this season, Meadows has established herself as the Bearcats’ most experienced player ever, appearing in 167 games over her four-year career, with 162 of those games started. Olivieri, a transfer student from Daytona Beach Community College, started all 76 games she played in for the Bearcats, including 32 games this year.