VESTAL, N.Y. - With playoff seeding on the line and a wide range of scenarios possible, second-place Binghamton baseball (21-21, 10-8 America East) makes the 10-hour trek to Orono to face fifth-place Maine (14-30, 10-10 AE) this weekend. The teams square off in a doubleheader on Friday and finish off the three-game set with a single game on Saturday.

With just three games remaining in the regular season, BU can finish anywhere from first to sixth place, as five teams are separated by just 1.5 games in the standings. The top two seeds earn a first-round bye in the tournament, which BU will host beginning on May 22. The Bearcats can lock up the No. 2 seed with two wins over the Black Bears in combination with a series split between Albany and Hartford (no sweep). 

Binghamton came back to the pack a bit after suffering a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Albany on Saturday. Riding seven wins in the team's previous nine games, BU was shut down 3-1 and 4-0 by the Great Danes. 

Junior second baseman Alex Baratta continues to lead the America East with a .379 average. Baratta has hit over .400 in the last two months and is a strong candidate for conference Player of the Year. He also leads the Bearcats with 30 RBI. Sophomore center fielder Shane Marshall is hitting .333 (5th in AE) and has a team-best 16 extra base hits. Junior left fielder Daniel Franchi is batting .331 (6th in AE) and leads the team in hits (54), runs (33) and stolen bases (nine). Senior DH Sean Trenholm has a team-high five home runs and 29 RBI. 

Senior right-hander Nick Gallagher (3-5, 4.64 ERA) and junior right-hander Ben Anderson (8-3, 2.80 ERA) will pitch Friday's games and freshman left-hander Thomas Babalis (3-1, 3.41 ERA) will take the ball on Saturday. Anderson leads the America East in both wins and strikeouts (98) and is second in ERA. He continues to extend his school record in strikeouts and can set the single-season wins mark with one more victory. Babalis has been the victim of two straight rainouts on his weekend pitching day. His ERA ranks fifth in the conference. 

Binghamton continues to lead the league in pitching (4.29 ERA) and rank second in both hitting (.269) and fielding (.976).

The Bearcats have had three conference games rained out and thus have played the fewest number of any America East team in 2019. Binghamton has lost seven total games to weather this spring.    

Maine has rebounded from a rough start to its season and has clinched a playoff spot as well. The Black Bears began the spring 2-21 thanks to a daunting schedule that featured six games against top-10 programs and four more against Power 5 opponents. Since that start, however, Maine is 12-9 and recently took two of three from league-leading Stony Brook. Last weekend, however, the Black Bears suffered two heartbreaking defeats at Hartford - losses that stalled their climb in the standings. On Tuesday, Maine traveled to Boston and lost 19-16, to Boston College in a game that featured a combined 35 runs and 36 hits.  
 
The Black Bears are dead-last in the America East in hitting (.237), rank fourth in pitching (6.19) and sixth in fielding (.968). Sophomore second baseman Joe Bramanti leads the team with a .299 average and 28 RBI. Junior outfielder Hernen Sardinas has a conference-high nine home runs and senior DH Danny Casals has seven home runs and a .401 on-base percentage. Expected to pitch for Maine on Friday are senior right-hander Nick Silva (4-5, 5.73 ERA), junior right-hander Cody Laweryson (4-4, 2.76 ERA). Senior righty Justin Courtney (0-2, 6.86 ERA) is slated to go in Saturday's finale.

After the teams split a doubleheader in March, Maine leads the all-time series 37-34. The Black Bears have won four of the last six in the series and are 19-11 at home head-to-head. In Binghamton's home opener on March 24 in Vestal, Maine won the opener 8-0 before the Bearcats took Game 2, 4-1. The final game of the series was canceled due to weather.   

Weekend Schedule
FRIDAY, May 17 - 11 a.m. (DH) - Orono, Maine (Mahaney Diamond)
Game 1:  RHP Ben Anderson (8-3, 2.80 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Laweryson (4-4, 2.76 ERA) | live video
Game 2: RHP Nick Gallagher (3-5, 4.64 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Silva (4-5, 5.73 ERA) | live video

SATURDAY, May 18 - 11 a.m. - Orono, Maine (Mahaney Diamond)
LHP Thomas Babalis (3-1, 3.41 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Courtney (0-2, 6.86 ERA) | live video