VESTAL, N.Y. - Visiting Marist (15-19) scored eight runs in the first three innings and handed Binghamton baseball (14-15) an 11-5 loss in a non-conference game Wednesday afternoon at Bearcats Baseball Complex.

The Red Foxes jumped on BU pitching for four runs in the first inning and wound up scoring in five of the first six innings. Meanwhile, six Marist pitchers limited the Bearcats to six hits with 10 strikeouts. 

Senior first baseman Matt Tsukroff belted a two-run home run in the second inning to get BU on the board. Binghamton also got one run in the fifth on a two-out RBI single from junior designated hitter Alex Baratta and two more in the seventh on RBI singles by Baratta and senior left fielder Sean Trenholm. 

Baratta wound up 2-for-4 with two RBI and lifted his team-best batting average to .371 - third-highest in the America East. Tsukroff was 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored.  

Junior outfielder Daniel Franchi, moving over from left field to center while sophomore Shane Marshall is out with an injury, made two spectacular diving catches. In the seventh inning, Franchi tracked a ball in deep center and dove toward the wall to come up with the catch. Then in the eighth, he charged a shallow liner, dove to make the catch and doubled off a Marist runner on second to complete the double play. 

Binghamton next heads to Lowell for a weekend series against the River Hawks. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 11 a.m. and finish with a single game on Saturday.