It was a tale of two games Wednesday afternoon as the Binghamton baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader against Marist. The Bearcats (15-19, 10-2 America East) tied their season-high in runs in the first game, overpowering the Red Foxes (17-16, 8-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), 15-7. With just two regulars in the starting lineup in the second game, the Bearcats had their bats silenced in a 6-1 defeat.
In the opener, both teams jumped out to score early and after one inning, Marist led, 3-2. The Bearcats proceeded to score seven runs across the next two frames to take control, highlighted by a two-run triple in the second inning by sophomore right fielder Chris McGee.
In the seventh inning, the Bearcats scored six more runs, capped off by a three-run homer from junior first baseman Brendan Skidmore, which pushed the lead to 15-7 and gave Skidmore his fourth RBI of the game. Skidmore sits in second place in the AE with seven home runs on the season and remains tied for third in the conference with 28 RBIs.
BU’s starting pitcher, freshman Nick Gallagher, was credited with the win despite allowing three earned runs over just two innings. He handed the ball over to sophomore Nick Wegmann, who struck out three over 1 1/3 innings.
In the second game, the Bearcats opted for a different lineup, which included four freshmen and a sophomore.
Binghamton loaded the bases with one out in the second, but two straight strikeouts kept them off the board. After scoring a run in the first inning, Marist exploded for five runs in the second to take a 6-0 lead. The Bearcats pushed across a run in the fifth, but were held in check the rest of the way.
Sophomore Joe Orlando got the start in the second game and allowed five runs in just 1 1/3 innings pitched.
Binghamton has struggled in non-conference play so far this year, winning only five of 22 non-conference matchups. In contrast, BU has 10 conference wins, despite playing 22 fewer games in AE play to date. BU’s pitching staff has especially struggled outside of conference play. Its ERA in AE games is 3.75 but rises to 5.75 when non-conference contests are taken into account.
The Bearcats will return to AE play this weekend as they face UMBC in a three-game series. The series will likely be an offensive showdown, as both teams place in the top two in the AE in home runs, with Binghamton leading, 22-21, on the season.
The conference rivals are set to open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m. followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will be held at The Baseball Factory Field in Catonsville, Maryland.