LEXINGTON, Va. - Binghamton baseball (3-7) snapped a 1-1 tie with three runs in the eighth inning and the Bearcats added four more in the ninth for an 8-2 win over VMI (4-9) i in the first game of a three-game set Friday afternoon at Gray-Minor Stadium. Binghamton has now won three of its last four games.

Senior second baseman Alex Baratta snapped a 1-1 tie with an RBI double in the eighth. Junior center fielder Shane Marshall led off the inning with a walk and stole second before Baratta ripped a ball down the left field line to put BU ahead 2-1. Baratta then took third on a wild pitch and scored on another wide pitch to make it 3-1. With two outs, senior catcher TJ Wegmann doubled and then scored Binghamton's fourth run when freshman DH Andrew Tan came through with an RBI single - his first collegiate RBI. 

After the Keydets got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, BU went back to work in the ninth and scored four runs on three hits to close out the scoring. Freshman right fielder Tommy Reifler led off with a walk and Marshall singled. Baratta dropped a sacrifice bunt down and reached base on an infield error. With the bases loaded, sophomore first baseman Kevin Gsell cleared them with a three-run triple down the left field line, making it 7-2. Wegmann followed with an RBI single to push across an eighth run.

Sophomore pitcher Thomas Babalis (W, 2-1) was outstanding, firing 7.0 innings of one-run ball. Babalis scattered six hits and struck out five. He used a double play ball to get out of a threat in the first inning, stranded a pair with a strikeout in the second and left another stuck in the third before he settled in. Wegmann helped him with a caught stealing to end the fifth and Babalis retired the side in order in three of his last four innings. 

Sophomore Ryan Bryggman (save) worked the final two innings and struck out the last VMI batter to close it.

Gsell went 2-for-5 with four RBI, Wegmann went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Baratta was 2-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI and three runs scored. Marshall scored twice. 

Binghamton outhit VMI 13-9 and worked through five Keydet pitchers. 

The teams play the middle game of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday. Sophomore right-hander Jack Collins makes his fourth start of the season.