New Mexico proved to be a harsh environment for the Binghamton University baseball team as the Bearcats suffered a four-game sweep over the weekend at the hands of the University of New Mexico.
The Bearcats (1-6) were outscored 66-9 in the four games, including a 30-2 loss on Saturday. Only two of the 13 pitchers who made an appearance for BU were able to avoid giving up a run.
The Lobos (13-2) fell behind quickly to Binghamton in the series opener on Friday.
Junior left fielder Joe Charron hit a home run with two outs in the top of the first to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. The Lobos quickly struck back against senior left-handed starter Jeff Dennis, scoring three runs in the bottom of the frame, aided by an error by sophomore first baseman Peter Bregartner. Kyle Klee, a senior third baseman, was able to help cut the lead to 3-2 in the second inning on a single, an error and an RBI groundout.
However, the game began to get out of hand after that, as the Lobos scored multiple runs in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth innings, winning 15-3. Dennis (0-2) took the loss, giving up nine runs (five earned) over four innings. Freshman Billy Hurley pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Bearcats. Lefty senior John Hesketh (3-0) picked up the win for New Mexico, giving up three runs in eight innings.
On Saturday, the two teams played a doubleheader.
The Lobos jumped out to an 8-0 lead by scoring four runs in each of the first two innings. It would only get worse from there for the Bearcats, as they gave up nine runs in the sixth inning and 10 runs in the eighth on the way to a 30-2 loss. Junior Murphy Smith (1-1), coming off of America East Player of the Week honors, gave up 11 runs in 4.2 innings, though only six were earned, with no strikeouts or walks in the loss.
Freshman Aaron Schuldt also had a difficult outing, giving up 12 runs in just 2.1 innings. Junior Travis Dirk (2-0) of the Lobos limited the Bearcats to just two runs in six innings for the win. Senior third baseman Dane Hamilton was the offensive star for New Mexico, going 6-for-7 with six RBI and hitting for the cycle. Catcher Rafael Neda was 5-for-6 with five RBIs of his own.
In the second game, Binghamton suffered the same fate, though it wasn’t as lopsided of a loss. BU committed five errors and scored just one run despite getting 10 hits in an 8-1 loss. Sophomore centerfielder Corey Taylor knocked in BU’s only run with an RBI single in the sixth. Sophomore James Giulietti (0-1) gave up seven runs in five innings for the loss, but sophomore Morgan Smith was able to pitch three innings of one-run ball in relief.
The final game of the series remained close early.
New Mexico went ahead 2-0 in the first inning off of freshman Mike Augliera on a pair of two-out RBIs. The Bearcats immediately responded with two runs of their own in the top of the second, both unearned. BU took the lead in the third with two singles, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single from Klee.
Unfortunately for Binghamton, that would mark the end of the Bearcats’ offense for the game.
New Mexico retook the lead with three runs in the fourth and went on to score runs in three of the next four innings, winning 13-3. Sophomore centerfielder Ryan Honeycutt led New Mexico with a 4-for-4 day with three RBIs. Augliera (0-2) gave up six runs in five innings for the loss, while senior closer Greg Lane, who had not had an opportunity to appear yet in the series, gave up three runs in 2+ innings. Junior Jason Oatman (2-1) pitched two innings of scoreless relief for the win.
Klee was the best Bearcat hitter over the weekend, going 7-for-15 with two runs, an RBI and a triple. Freshman first baseman Dave Ciocchi was 4-for-8 with a run and an RBI. Hamilton went 10-for-20 for the Lobos, along with 10 runs and 10 RBIs. Senior Brian Cavazos-Galvez, an outfielder for New Mexico, also had a good weekend, going 11-19 with eight RBIs, seven runs, three triples and two stolen bases.
Binghamton faces the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-11) next weekend for a three-game set. The Hawks are currently riding a three-game losing streak. The Bearcats’ games last weekend against Norfolk State University were rained out and will not be made up.