The Binghamton softball team opened its 2024 campaign in Florida at the Frank Griffin Classic, going 4-1 throughout the weekend. After dropping its first game against Boston University, the Bearcats defeated Stetson and SIUE twice, coming away with a 4-1 record, their best start since the 2004 season.

“Our first weekend was a good start for us,” wrote Binghamton head coach Jess Bump. “For this early in the season with a lot of different lineups, we had a lot of energy and showed a lot of fight in some tough games.”

Binghamton (4-1) played two games on Friday, a morning matchup against Boston University (5-0) and an afternoon game against Stetson University (0-5). The Bearcats began their weekend falling 8-0 to Boston University after being held hitless through all six innings. The tide turned during game two against Stetson, as senior pitcher Allison L’Amoreaux went three-for-four with three RBIs and a home run while pitching four innings with four strike outs. Despite Stetson tacking on a run in the sixth inning, the Bearcats held on to win 6-5.

“[Boston University] is a veteran team with a great pitching staff and an offense that never lets up,” Bump wrote. “Obviously, we would’ve liked a better outcome, but something we talked about is not losing two in a row, and just competing better in our [at-bats] and we did that.”

The Bearcats played another doubleheader on Saturday taking on SIUE (1-4) and Stetson for the second time. Binghamton carried its momentum from the previous day against SIUE, exploding for seven runs by the fifth inning. Binghamton struck first in the second inning, thanks to a two-run home run off the bat of sophomore pitcher Brianna Roberts. Another two runs would be scored in both the third and fourth innings off of errors by SIUE’s shortstop, and the Bearcats did not look back, winning 7-3. Roberts recorded the win, pitching five innings and striking out six, while giving up five hits and three runs, only two of which were earned.

Binghamton’s second game against Stetson was an uphill battle. While BU scored in the first inning, Stetson responded by putting up four runs of their own in the second. Then, BU tacked on two more runs in the fifth to make it 4-3. In the sixth, Roberts hit a run-scoring double to complete the Bearcat comeback and tie the game at four. Binghamton then scored three runs in the top of the seventh, with the first two coming off a two-RBI double by sophomore catcher Emma Lawson and the third being driven in by senior catcher Hailey Ehlers. Stetson plated a run of its own in the bottom of the seventh, but Binghamton held on to win the game 7-5.

“We were able to execute early to get ahead, went down by three and then really rallied back with some great [at-bats],” Bump wrote. “[Sophomore piticher Olivia Kennedy] threw the final 4 and showed great composure in some tough moments.”

BU played one final game on Sunday, a morning matchup against SIUE, which saw a pitching duel. L’Amoreaux pitched all seven innings, striking out six while giving up six hits and one earned run. SIUE captured the lead in the fifth inning and led into the final frame of the game. With BU down by one, Lawson came up big with a two-run single to walk the game off in the seventh inning, as the Bearcats won 2-1.

“I was really proud of the seventh inning … we had a freshman lead off with a double, a freshman come back from a 0-2 count to walk and then a sophomore come up clutch with the walk-off,” Bump wrote. “We have talent in every class, and they all stepped up in their own ways this weekend.”

Binghamton will be back in action next week at the Winthrop Eagle Classic with its first game against the University of South Carolina- Upstate on Friday, Feb. 16. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Terry Field in Rock Hill, South Carolina.