VESTAL, N.Y. – Sophomore shortstop Makayla Alvarez drove in a pair of runs and freshman pitcher Morgan Bienkowski recorded a complete-game victory as Binghamton (16-27, 5-12 AE) earned a split against Maine in an America East Softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Bearcats Sports Complex Softball Facility on Saturday afternoon. After losing the first game 8-2, the Bearcats rebounded to take the finale 3-1.
 
Alvarez and junior catcher Sara Herskowitz each finished the afternoon 2-for-5 (.400). Freshman second baseman Marissa Braito was 1-for-4 but also drew three walks.
 
Bienkowski went the distance in the second game, scattering one run on four hits and struck out a career-high six batters. In the process, she raised her record to 4-6.
 
Alvarez, meanwhile, smacked a two-run double in the bottom of the third inning of that same game, putting the Bearcats ahead 2-1. After Maine trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning, Alvarez scored an insurance run on a RBI groundout by sophomore outfielder Lauren Martinez.
 
The loss was tagged to Kyleigh O'Donnell, whose record dropped to 3-6.
 
"Morgan did a great job in the second game and the defense played very well behind her," head coach Michelle Johnston said. "We came back well in game two and finished off the game when we had to."
 
In the opener, the Bearcats came back from an early 2-0 deficit to deadlock the game in the bottom of the first inning. Junior catcher Sara Herskowitz doubled home the first run and later scored on a RBI groundout by sophomore first baseman Madison Germano.
 
Maine broke the game open with five runs in the top of the third inning, three of which came home on a fielding error. Maddy Decker led off the frame with a home run and Meghan Royle stroked a RBI double.
 
Royle tacked on Maine's final run when she led off the top of the fifth inning with a home run.
 
Emily Reid went the distance, allowing two runs on three hits to raise her record to 4-12. Junior pitcher Rozlyn Price took the loss and is now 3-8.
 
Herskowitz, who scored a team-best two runs during the doubleheader, now has a team-best 31 RBI for the season.
 
Sunday's game between Binghamton and Maine has been moved back to 2 p.m. due to the weather forecast in the morning.