It didn’t matter whether the Binghamton University baseball team was playing at home or on the road this weekend, because it was ready to win. The Bearcats swept four games from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, winning two games in Binghamton and two in New Jersey.
“I think it’s hard to sweep any team,” said BU head coach Tim Sinicki. “It doesn’t happen very often. It’s a good feeling and a real tribute to our guys for staying focused, showing the ability of not easing off and instead trying to go for the kill when we had a team down.”
As the weather got hotter, so did the Bearcats (20-15), who snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 11-2 in their last 13 games. The offensive attack has averaged nine runs per game over that span, including 25 runs in their blowout win in Game 2 on Saturday.
Senior Jeff Dennis started the weekend at home with a solid performance in Game 1 on Saturday, giving up two runs in five innings. NJIT led 2-1 after three innings, but BU tallied five runs in the fourth on seven straight hits to take a 6-2 lead. The scoring was capped by a two-run home run from senior Ken Jacobi. After hitting an RBI-triple in the fourth, sophomore Corey Taylor had a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Freshman Alex Adami threw two scoreless innings to seal the 8-2 win.
In the second game, junior Murphy Smith dominated the Highlanders’ lineup, striking out 11 in six shutout innings. However, Smith’s performance would prove to be an afterthought in this contest. Binghamton used eight runs in the second, and seven runs in the sixth on the way to a 25-1 win. Junior third baseman Jim Calderone led the Bearcats’ offense, going 4-for-5 and knocking in a school-record eight RBIs. Calderone hit two home runs, including a grand slam in the fifth. He came just a double short of the cycle. Taylor and junior first baseman Matt Simone each added four RBIs of their own, while fellow junior and shortstop Jeff Abrams was 4-for-4. NJIT scored their only run in the top of the seventh, the final inning of the game.
Coach Sinicki defended the team’s high run total, saying he wouldn’t tell his team to stop playing hard. Despite the blowout, he didn’t feel that the score reflected any severe difference in talent between the teams.
“Murphy was in total control, they weren’t going to score runs off him,” he said. “I think they just threw some mop-up guys in there and saved some other, better pitching for Sunday’s doubleheader.”
Game 3 of the series shifted to New Jersey, but the results didn’t change. Sophomore James Giulietti allowed two runs with four strikeouts over six innings. Binghamton scored two runs in the first on an RBI-triple and a sacrifice fly. They added a run in the third on another sacrifice fly and three more in the fifth on junior Joe Charron’s two-out, three-run home run. The teams exchanged a pair of runs in the sixth as the Bearcats won, 8-2. Charron had five RBIs, while sophomore Peter Bregartner had the other three.
The final game of the weekend series would prove to be the closest of the four. Freshman Mike Augliera started for Binghamton, allowing one run over five innings. The offense scored a run in each of the second, third and fourth innings to go up 3-0. An RBI-double in the fourth and a solo home run in the sixth cut the lead to 3-2, but the Bearcats picked up an insurance run in the top of the seventh on an RBI-double from Calderone. Senior closer Greg Lane gave up a run in the final two innings, but held on for the save as Binghamton took the game, 4-2.
After committing nine errors in their previous five games, Binghamton only committed one error in their entire series against NJIT. The pitching held the Highlanders to just seven runs over the four games. Murphy Smith led the way, and he is now 6-1 on the year with a 2.50 ERA and 51 strikeouts.
“I think the pitching and defense go hand-in-hand. One helps out the other one; I thought we did a good job in both areas.”
The Bearcats do have a couple of minor health concerns. Redshirt sophomore and leadoff man Henry Dunn was pulled in Game 1 due to a hyperextended knee he suffered against Stony Brook last weekend. Coach Sinicki hopes he will be ready for the games this upcoming weekend. Senior Kyle Klee did not play in the last three games of the series due to strep throat.
Binghamton is scheduled to play their sixth-straight nonconference game today, facing off against Marist College (22-19) at Varsity Field at 3 p.m. The teams last faced off on April 1, a game Marist won, 5-4, on a walk-off home run. The Bearcats are scheduled to resume conference play this weekend, playing a four-game set at Maryland-Baltimore County.