WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Sophomore shortstop Makayla Alvarez and sophomore third baseman Sarah Benn each drove in three runs, leading Binghamton (15-23, 4-9 AE) to a split against Hartford (17-24, 4-9 AE) at the UH Softball Field on Friday afternoon. The Bearcats lost the first game 6-4 but bounced back to win the finale 7-3.

Alvarez finished the doubleheader 3-for-6, homered and scored twice. Benn, meanwhile, was 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair sacrifice flies. Junior catcher Sara Herskowitz finished 3-for-8 (.375) with a double and three runs scored while junior pinch hitter Rozlyn Price drove in a pair of runs.

"It was good to see our team respond in the second game," head coach Michelle Johnston said. "I was disappointed with the way we came out in the first game with mental mistakes and a lack of effort. We had good production throughout the lineup in game two which makes a big difference in how we play."

Benn and Price staked Binghamton to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the second game. Benn drove home Alvarez on a sacrifice fly and Price single home the other two runs.

The Bearcats tacked on another run in the top of the third inning and then blew the game open with three more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Alvarez smacked a two-run home run and Benn capped the scoring with a RBI single. For Alvarez, it was her team-best eighth homer of the year.

Freshman pitcher Morgan Bienkowski pitched the first six innings to raise her record to 3-5. The loss was tagged to Isabella Gerone, who is now 3-4.

Sophomore outfielder Lauren Martinez, who finished the day 2-for-4 (.500), was a perfect 2-for-2 in the second game and scored a pair of runs.

In the first game, the Bearcats fell into a 3-0 hole before plating a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. Herskowitz doubled home the first run and later scored on a fielding error.

The Hawks came back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before Binghamton pulled to within 6-4 in the top of the sixth inning. Alvarez singled home the first run and Herskowitz later scored on a sacrifice fly by Benn.

Binghamton left the tying run at the plate when the game ended.

Julianna Kocenski improved to 11-13 with the win while Price dropped to 3-5 with the defeat.

Herskowitz was 2-for-4 in the first game. She now leads the Bearcats with 27 RBI.

As a team, the Bearcats hit .315 and held the Hawks to a .235 team batting average. 

Binghamton and Hartford will conclude their conference series on Sunday at noon. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but got postponed due to the weather. 

NOTES: Alvarez now has a team-best, five-game hitting streak ... Benn is now batting a team-best .324 for the season.