This weekend, the Binghamton baseball team traveled to Virginia to take on Liberty in a three-game series. Looking for victory after losing their previous two of three games against Northwestern State last weekend, the Bearcats (2-4) again came away with only one win.
“We certainly have a long ways to go to where we want to be, you know, come time for the America East Conference games,” said BU head coach Tim Sinicki.
BU came into the series strong, earning a 4-2 victory against the Flames (6-1) in the first game on Friday afternoon. The team scored three runs in the second inning alone, spearheaded by a home run from sophomore infielder Justin Drpich to center field. The Flames scored two runs in the third inning on a double that sent two runners home, but Binghamton extended its lead to four with a final run in the sixth on a single from senior outfielder Pat Britt. The game ended at a 4-2 score in favor of the Bearcats.
Notably, relief pitchers sophomore Jake Miller and freshman Reid VanScoter threw seven scoreless innings over the course of the match, helping hold Liberty to two runs and just five hits during the game.
On Saturday, Binghamton was not as fortunate as the day before. The team managed to score the first run of the game in the first inning on a home run from senior outfielder CJ Krowiak, but Liberty did not let the Bearcats take the lead so easily. The Flames drove in a run of their own in the bottom of the first on a ground out.
From here, play went back and forth between the two teams. By the fourth inning, the game was tied at 3-3. The Bearcats managed to earn another run in the fifth to push the score to 4-3, but Liberty scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, which gave it a lead Binghamton failed to overcome for the rest of the match. Each team posted an additional two runs before the game ended in favor of Liberty, 10-6.
Sunday saw another disappointing day of play for the Bearcats. While BU went scoreless for the first eight innings, Liberty tacked three runs on the board during the second and third on two home runs.
Binghamton looked to make a comeback in the ninth, recording two runs during the top of the inning, one of which came off of a home run from Krowiak, his second of the weekend. The second run came off of a single from senior catcher Jason Agresti. Despite the rally, BU’s two runs were not enough to take the lead, and the Bearcats fell to the Flames, 3-2.
Next weekend, the Bearcats will return to Virginia for another three-game series, this time against the University of Richmond. Sinicki hopes that a week in practice will help the team prepare for play.
“Baseball is a game of repetition, so we need to continue to get our work in offensively and defensively and prepare for another big weekend, next Friday, Saturday, Sunday down in Richmond,” Sinicki said.
The three-game series will begin Friday, March 2 and last until March 4. First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. from Pitt Field in Richmond, Virginia.