LYNCHBURG, Va. - Binghamton baseball scored runs in six of nine innings but host Liberty (5-1) answered in five of those frames and powered past the Bearcats (2-3) 10-6 Saturday afternoon at Liberty Baseball Field. The teams will now play the rubber game of the three-game series at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN3.

Binghamton led 4-3 before the Flames plated four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth inning. Three singles and an RBI triple did the damage, although the hosts were aided by two walks and a wild pitch.

The Bearcats tried to rally with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings but each time Liberty answered with runs of its own. The Flames outhit BU 13-11.

Senior center fielder CJ Krowiak gave BU an emphatic start to the game with a leadoff home run. Krowiak (2-for-5, 2 RBI) sent a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left center for his first homer of the season. The Bearcats drew two walks after Krowiak's bomb and appeared to be in line for a bigger inning before Liberty used a caught stealing and groundout to end the threat. 

After the Flames evened the score in the bottom of the first, BU broke back on top in the second when freshman first baseman Shane Marshall led off with a single and with one out, scored on an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Alex Baratta. 

Binghamton got another run on the board in the fourth when senior designated hitter Luke Tevlin doubled to right center and scored on an RBI double by freshman right fielder Andrew Eng. The Bearcats were denied additional runs when the Liberty right fielder made a diving catch on a hard liner from sophomore left fielder Daniel Franchi.

Liberty hit a wind-aided two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3. But after BU pushed ahead again in the top of the fifth on a Marshall RBI groundout, the Flames did their damage in the bottom half to take the lead for good.

Senior catcher Jason Agresti went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Tevlin went 2-for-4 in his first start of the season. 

Senior starter Jacob Wloczewski (L, 0-2) absorbed the loss after going 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

Senior left-hander Nick Wegmann (1-0, 1.50 ERA) takes the hill for Sunday's series finale.