The Binghamton softball team went 0-4 at the Coastal Carolina Tournament this weekend, falling to Florida Atlantic twice, Saint Joseph’s and host Coastal Carolina. Despite the winless record, the Bearcats showed offensive improvement as the tournament progressed, producing their strongest offensive output in Sunday’s finale against the Chanticleers with only a two-run difference in the final score.

With the first game of the weekend-long tournament on Saturday morning against Florida Atlantic (16-6), Binghamton (1-12) opened the scorebook when sophomore infielder Rachel Carey came home after a double to right center from freshman infielder Lauren Payne. However, Florida Atlantic gained a quick head start with four runs in the bottom of the first inning, building on its lead further with another four runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Owls closed out the match with a three-run home run in the fifth, forcing a mercy rule finish.

Saturday afternoon’s matchup saw the Bearcats take on Saint Joseph’s (6-9). Binghamton jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a two-run home run from Carey and RBI base hits from junior utility Maddy Dodig and Payne. Binghamton’s lead did not last long, however, as the Hawks added two runs in the fourth inning and another two in the fifth to tie things up.

A single in the top of the sixth brought freshman utility Megan Wolf home to give the Bearcats back the lead, but Saint Joseph’s responded with six runs to take a daunting 10-5 lead. Although junior infielder Elisa Allen tacked on two runs with a home run, the Bearcats were unable to come back, falling at a score of 10-7.

In Sunday’s rematch against Florida Atlantic, Binghamton trailed early on once more, with the Owls building an 8-0 advantage by the third inning. After both squads failed to score in the fourth, Florida Atlantic added another two runs at the top of the fifth.

Although a solo home run from Allen put the Bearcats on the board in the bottom of the fifth, the Bearcats lost by mercy rule once again, this time falling 10-1.

In its final game on Sunday afternoon, Binghamton closed the tournament with its closest matchup against hosts Coastal Carolina (11-9). The Bearcats trailed early in the matchup and the Chanticleers powered to a 7-1 lead by the bottom of the fourth with five runs in the inning.

Binghamton rallied with a pair of RBI walks in the fifth and an RBI single from Dodig in the sixth cut the deficit to four. A two-run home run courtesy of senior catcher Emma Lawson in the seventh brought the Bearcats within two, but marked their final runs of the match as they lost 8-6.

The Bearcats will look to get back in the win column when they take on Niagara. First pitch is set for Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. at the Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park in Binghamton, New York.