VESTAL, N.Y. - Freshmen pitchers Thomas Babalis and Jack Collins combined for a three-hit shutout and Binghamton baseball (18-17, 8-6 America East) snapped a scoreless tie with an unearned run in the seventh inning to post a 1-0 win over visiting Hartford (13-26, 7-8 AE) Sunday afternoon at the Bearcats Baseball Complex. With the win, BU completed a three-game series sweep of the Hawks and moved into second place in the crowded conference standings.

Babalis went 6.0 innings and only allowed two hits. He struck out five and lowered his season ERA to 3.41 but exited with a no-decision. Collins (W, 1-2) notched his first collegiate win after going the final 3.0 scoreless frames. He allowed one hit and struck out a pair. Collins stranded the tying run at third in the ninth inning with a shallow fly to center. 

Junior center fielder Daniel Franchi finished off an outstanding weekend at the plate by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, he singled up the middle. After a Hawks' pitching change, Franchi scampered around to third on a failed pick-off that rolled to the fence. He then scored on a wild pitch for the game's lone run. 

Franchi (2-for-4) had half of BU's four hits and finished the series by hitting .583 (7-for-12) with four runs scored. 

Babalis worked his second straight strong outing. He got out of an immediate jam in the first after a walk and hit batter gave Hartford two runners with no outs. But a liner to right was followed by a great diving start to a double play by junior second baseman Alex Baratta that retired the side. Then in the second Hartford had two on with two out before Baratta recorded a strikeout to end the frame. Then in the fifth, the Hawks again put their first two hitters on and had first and third with no out. But Babalis got back-to-back strikeouts and then benefited from a defensive gem from sophomore shortstop Jake Evans, who slid deep in the hole to snare a grounder and from his knees fired to Baratta at second for the inning-ending force. 

Baratta was walked twice, including intentionally to load the bases in the fifth inning, and saw his 16-game hit streak come to an end. The streak is the third-longest in BU's 18-year Division I tenure, behind only Joe Charron (21 in 2010) and Reed Gamache (17 in 2016). Baratta leads the Bearcats and is third in the America East with a .385 average.

Binghamton begins a busy five-game week with a non-conference game against visiting St. Bonaventure on Tuesday afternoon.