Binghamton baseball played a series on the road against Richmond over the weekend, coming away with its first series win of the season. After splitting the first two games of the series, the Bearcats managed to pull away with a narrow victory over the Spiders on Sunday.

“Came out today and did the things we needed to do to win,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki. “We’re still not perfect by any means, but we pitched really well today and got some timely hitting and those are always good things that usually lead to success more times than not.”

Game one opened with a solo shot from the Spiders (9-7), but an RBI single in the third from sophomore outfielder Matt Bolton for the Bearcats (4-8) tied the game up at 1-1. Although Richmond soon retook the lead in the fourth, Bolton mashed a solo homer out to left field in the bottom of the sixth, once again tying the game.

The seventh inning proved to be a breakout one for the Bearcats, as they scored three runs courtesy of singles from sophomore outfielder Grant Hunter and senior infielder Zack Kent, giving Binghamton a 5-2 lead. The Bearcats held on for the rest of the match, thanks to three scoreless innings from junior pitcher Jackson Mitchell to close the game.

“It’s been a little bit like a video game,” Sinicki said about Mitchell’s hot start to the season, where, through four games, he has allowed zero earned runs. “He’s got a three-pitch mix right now of a fastball, slider and changeup and he’s throwing all three pitches for strikes. He’s getting swings and misses.”

Game two quickly saw the Spiders take a 3-0 lead in the first, thanks to a pair of RBI singles and an error. Richmond extended their lead courtesy of two more singles in the fourth to go up 6-0. Sophomore first baseman Steven Kraus knocked in Binghamton’s only run of the day from a home run out to right field in the seventh inning, making it a 6-1 game.

The Spiders then tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning to ultimately come away with an 8-1 victory. The Bearcats were held to just two hits in the game, as they were struck out 14 times at the plate.

“I think they believe in themselves and in each other, but with so many new people and so many unfamiliar faces trying to make big contributions right now,” Sinicki said. “ I still think we’re searching for our identity and hopefully this is one step forward to finding out really who we are.”

Game three saw the Spiders once again open the scorebook, going up 1-0 in the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly. Richmond’s lead wouldn’t last, however, with a breakout fourth inning from the Bearcats putting them up 3-1 thanks to RBIs from Kraus, Hunter and junior catcher Zach Anderson.

Richmond threatened a comeback in the seventh with an RBI double, but a home run from Kraus in the top of the eighth helped extend the Bearcat lead. The Spiders answered with a home run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback as Binghamton held on to a 4-3 victory.

“Playing midweek games is really critical,” Sinicki said. “Baseball is a game of repetition and so it’s nice that it’s not going to be just another week of practice. The opportunity to play a game and compete, that’s really an important thing when we’re trying to come together as a ball club with so many new faces.”

Binghamton is set to play its home opener after last week’s game was canceled due to weather in a one-game matchup against St. Bonaventure. First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.