DELAND, Fla. – The Binghamton softball team (6-7) gained a split in the second day of the Stetson Classic on Saturday afternoon at Hatter Field. The Bearcats defeated Tennessee-Martin (15-8) 9-2 in the first game but dropped a 9-0, five-inning decision to Wagner (7-9) in the finale.
In the opener, sophomore outfielder
Jessica Rutherford tied the school record by collecting four hits against the Skyhawks. She went a perfect 4-for-4, scored three times, homered and drove in three runs.
Rutherford is the first Binghamton player to record a four-hit game since senior first baseman
Lisa Cadogan against Rider on March 8, 2015. There have been several four-hit games in Binghamton's program history but never a five-hit performance.
Also driving in three runs against Tennessee-Martin was junior shortstop
Crysti Eichner. Senior outfielder
Sydney Harbaugh, meanwhile, finished 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.
Rutherford smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Bearcats a 2-1 lead.
Two innings later, the Bearcats plated three more runs. Rutherford singled home the first run and Eichner capped the scoring with a RBI double.
The Skyhawks got a run back in the top of the sixth inning but the Bearcats blew the game open with four more runs in the bottom of the frame. Eichner had the big blow with a two-out, two-run single.
Sophomore pitcher
Sarah Miller went the distance, scattering two runs on three hits and striking out three batters to improve to 4-4 on the season. Saxon Taylor fell to 1-1 with the defeat.
After reeling off 11 hits in their first game of the day, the Bearcats' bats went silent against Wagner for the second day in a row. Morgan Brown tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out five batters in the process.
Offensively, the Seahawks erupted for nine runs on nine hits in just four innings to lock up the mercy-rule victory.
Harbaugh and Eichner had the only two Binghamton hits against Wagner.
Brown improved to 3-5 with the win while junior pitcher
Shelby Donhauser dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
Binghamton wraps up its stay at the Stetson Classic with a 10 a.m. rematch against Tennessee-Martin on Sunday.
