LOWELL, Mass. - Binghamton pitchers held UMass Lowell to two runs on eight hits in 17 innings of baseball but the first-place Bearcats (11-16, 7-1 America East) had to settle for a twinbill split Saturday afternoon at LeLacheur Park. Binghamton won the opener 5-0 before the host River Hawks (12-14, 2-6 AE) won the nightcap 2-1 in eight innings.

In the opener, junior Jake Cryts and senior Rob Hardy combined for a six-hit shutout and the Bearcats snapped a scoreless tie with a run in the seventh inning and then added four more insurance runs in the ninth.

Cryts (W, 3-3) went 6.0 innings and allowed five hits. He struck out six and stranded seven River Hawk runners before giving way to Hardy (S, 2), who stifled Lowell on one hit in his three shutout frames. In a scoreless game, Cryts worked out of jams in the third and fourth innings to keep the hosts off the board. He stranded two in scoring position in the third with a strikeout and groundout and then one inning later, he used back-to-back swinging strikeouts to leave the bases loaded.

In the seventh, sophomore shortstop Paul Rufo singled with two out and stole second. Sophomore center fielder CJ Krowiak then laced an RBI single into center, scoring Rufo to give BU a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, the River Hawks threatened after a leadoff single. But after a sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position, Hardy got back-to-back infield groundouts to solidify the 1-0 lead.

Krowiak made a diving catch in shallow center to highlight the eighth inning and then he came through at the plate in the ninth. With runners on first and third, Krowiak executed a bunt toward first base and Rufo beat the throw home to make it 2-0. Senior second baseman Reed Gamache then ripped a two-out RBI single up the middle and junior first baseman Brendan Skidmore followed with a two-run single into center to finish the scoring.

Gamache had two hits and three stolen bases, Skidmore and Krowiak each drove in two and Rufo scored two runs. 

In Game 2, both offenses were quiet. Senior Mike Bunal struck out nine in 7.0 innings of no-decision work. He allowed one hit (single) and one run - both in the first inning before shutting down Lowell over his final six innings. But despite putting the leadoff hitter on in the first six innings, BU could only muster a first-inning run and the teams went to extra innings even at 1-1.

The Bearcats struck first in the bottom of the first. Krowiak singled, moved to second on a walk to senior third baseman David Schanz and took third on a fly ball to right from Gamache. Skidmore then plated Krowiak with a sacrifice fly to right field. 

But Lowell tied it in the bottom of the first on a single, walk, wild pitch and sacrifice fly.

Seven innings later, Lowell drew a leadoff walk and after a sacrifice bunt, fly ball and intentional walk, the River Hawks scored the winning run on a single up the middle on a 1-2 pitch. 

The loss was BU's first in conference play after a 7-0 start. 

The teams will play the rubber game of the three-game series at noon on Sunday.