Binghamton baseball continued its road stint this weekend in a series against High Point University, dropping two out of three games in a close series versus the Panthers. Sophomore outfielder Grant Hunter played a great series offensively, knocking three balls out of the park, including two on Saturday in the team’s only runs of the day.

“It was actually a good series in terms of just competitive baseball,” said Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki. “We did a nice job rallying in that first game and coming back and getting the win with some runs late, and then [game two] after we gave up a three spot in the first inning, we played them even the rest of the way and [game three] was a good ball game until they scored some runs late on us.”

Game one saw the Panthers (7-5) quickly get on the scoreboard, going up 4-0 in the first inning. An RBI double and a two-run home run in the fourth helped solidify their lead, tacking on three more runs to take a 7-0 lead and holding Binghamton (2-7) scoreless through the first six innings.

A three-run homer from sophomore first baseman Steven Kraus helped to bring the Bearcats back into the game in the seventh inning, bringing them within four runs. Binghamton then scored six more runs in the eighth inning, with the go-ahead run coming as a result of a two-run RBI double from redshirt sophomore infielder Tim Hennig, taking a 9-7 lead. Junior pitcher Jackson Mitchell came away with the save after pitching two hitless innings to close the game.

“We got hits when we needed to,” Sinicki said on game one’s win. “We got a big three-run home run from Kraus that made it 7-3, and then we were able to load the bases, get some runners on, and they gave us a couple runs with a couple walks, but then we came up with a big hit that gave us the lead and we held it for the win.”

Binghamton was first to get on the scoreboard in Saturday’s contest, with a solo home run shot from Hunter putting them up 1-0 in the first. High Point quickly answered with three runs in the first, followed by four scoreless innings from both teams.

Hunter hit his second solo homer of the day in the top of the fifth, making it a 3-2 game, but once again, High Point responded with another run in the bottom of the inning. The Panthers tacked on one more run courtesy of a home run in the seventh inning. With the Bearcats unable to rally, High Point walked away with a 5-2 victory over its opponents.

“[Hunter]’s a dangerous guy,” Sinicki said. “With one swing of the bat, obviously he can change the scoreboard, and he’s got that ability to be dangerous for us,” Sinicki said. “So hopefully he’s getting some confidence and will continue to be a big part of our lineup.”

Game three once again saw High Point quickly get on the scoreboard, thanks to an RBI single, taking a 1-0 lead in the first. Sophomore outfielder Matt Bolton mashed a ball out to right field in the third, nearly knocking it out of the park, but a Panther outfielder robbed him of the would-be tying run.

Hunter, continuing his great offense in the series, once again hit a solo home run in the sixth with two outs, tying the game 1-1. High Point responded with back-to-back home runs in the seventh, going up 4-1 with just two innings remaining. The Bearcats put up two runs in response in the eighth, threatening the Panthers’ lead by coming within one, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling just short at 4-3.

“It’s early, and we’re still trying to find our best lineup, too,” Sinicki said. “And so we’re playing some different guys, and hopefully we can just keep figuring it out before we get to conference play.”

Binghamton will play its home opener on Tuesday, Mar. 3 in a one-game series against Lafayette. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.