STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball dropped a twinbill at first-place Stony Brook on Saturday, coming up short 3-1 in the opener and then losing 5-4 in 10 innings in the nightcap at Joe Nathan Field. The Bearcats (9-17, 4-6 America East) came within a whisker of gaining a split in game 2 but surrendered the tying run on an error with two out in the Seawolves' final at-bat and then saw the winning run cross on a wild pitch in the third extra-inning. 

In the nightcap, Binghamton led 4-2 after scoring three runs in the fifth inning. But Stony Brook (19-11, 6-1 AE) tallied a run in the bottom of the fifth and then forced extras with an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh. A one-out walk and two-out dropped outfield fly extended the game. After the Bearcats squandered a leadoff double in their half of the 10th, Stony Brook made good on its leadoff double in the home half. A single and intentional walk loaded the bases with no out before junior reliever Mike Bunal got a strikeout and force out. With two out, however, BU couldn't fully wiggle out of trouble when the wild pitch brought home the winning run. Bunal (L, 1-2) went 3.2 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits.

Each team had 11 hits but BU committed three costly errors.

Senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz went 3-for-5 with an RBI and junior right fielder Zach Blanden and senior left fielder Shaun McGraw had two hits and an RBI apiece. Freshman catcher Eddie Posavec went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Blanden and Bereszniewicz hit back-to-back RBI triples to key a three-run BU fifth inning that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. McGraw also delivered a two-out RBI single.

Junior starter Mike Urbanksi went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. Freshman Jextin Pugh pitched 1.2 hitless frames.

The Bearcats were limited to four hits in the opener and despite working seven walks, left eight baserunners stranded in the 3-1 setback. The team's six through nine hitters were a combined 0-for-12 in the contest. Blanden went 2-for-3 and scored the lone run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning. Blanden began the inning with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Bereszniewicz. He was awarded third on a balk and came in on the errant pitch. Walks to senior second baseman Daniel Nevares and junior DH Jake Thomas gave Binghamton runners on first and second with one out. But back-to-back groundouts left the tying run stalled at first. The Bearcats went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Junior Jack Rogalla (L, 3-4) went 7.0 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. 

The pair of defeats coupled with UMBC's sweep of Albany on Saturday dropped the Bearcats into fifth place in the America East standings. Stony Brook (6-1) sits atop the seven-team list, followed by Hartford (6-2), UMBC (5-6), UMass Lowell (3-4), Binghamton (4-6), Maine (3-5) and Albany (4-7). The top four teams (excluding Lowell) advance to the conference tournament.

The teams finish off the series with a single game at noon on Sunday. Sophomore righty Jake Cryts (2-3, 3.21 ERA) gets the start.