The Binghamton University softball team has been nearly as successful over the past week as it was all of last season. But the Bearcats will need more than just improvement to overcome the defending conference champion Boston Terriers this weekend.
Binghamton (21-12, 6-6 America East) is riding a six-game win streak, including a pair of wins against Colgate Wednesday night. The offense has been consistently solid over the streak, scoring at least eight runs in each match, and three of the wins have come against conference opponents. The Bearcats have already tripled last year’s overall win total (seven) and their conference win total (two).
At the moment, the Bearcats are tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference. With just two conference series left, this weekend will be an important one for Binghamton. Unfortunately for the team, this series comes against the top team in the conference and the defending AE tournament champions at Boston University (23-17, 7-2 AE). The Terriers are coming off a 2-1 weekend against UMBC. The Bearcats picked up a 4-3 win against Boston last year.
Boston features ace Cassidi Hardy, who has a 2.60 ERA and a 13-7 record, while Whitney Tuthill’s 2.77 ERA is second on the team. Offensively, April Setterlund has a .543 batting average with 49 RBI and 12 stolen bases, and leads the conference in 11 offensive categories.
Opposing the Terriers will be some of Binghamton’s stars. AE Player of the Week Deannie Plemon’s 36 RBI is third in the conference, AE Co-Pitcher of the Week Kristen Emerling has a conference-best 1.41 ERA and Jessica Philips is coming off AE Rookie of the Week honors.
The Bearcats last displayed their all-around talent by beating Colgate 8-5 and 8-1 on the road in a doubleheader on Wednesday. In the opener, starter Rhoda Marsteller struggled a bit, giving up four runs in 4.1 innings. Catcher Plemon was 4-for-4 with two RBI and a home run. BU struck early, as Stephanie DeLuca hit a two-run homer in the first. Colgate tied it up in the bottom of the inning, but Binghamton pulled ahead again with an unearned run in the second. By the time the bottom of the fifth came around, the Bearcats were up 7-2. Jennifer Ortega’s second home run of the day cut the lead to 7-5, but that’s all Colgate would get, as Kate Price tossed a pair of scoreless innings to finish things off.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Bearcat ace Emerling lived up to her title. She allowed one unearned run in a six-inning complete game, racking up six strikeouts. Philips and second baseman Stephanie Valencia combined to go 6-for-8 with five RBI as BU scored in every inning but the third.
Binghamton will look to carry this momentum on the road against Boston this weekend. The teams are scheduled to face off in a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game set to begin at 1 p.m. The teams will then play a game on Sunday, which is scheduled for noon.