STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Binghamton baseball (11-11, 11-11 America East) earned a doubleheader split at league-leading Stony Brook (21-12, 17-5 AE) Saturday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field. The Bearcats took the opener 10-0 before the Seawolves countered with a 13-9 win in the nightcap.

In a lopsided Game 1, sophomore lefty Thomas Babalis (W, 3-3) fired a complete-game, two-hit shutout and BU supported him with a 14-hit attack. Babalis struck out five and induced a school-record four double plays to pin a shutout on Stony Brook for the first time in 28 games.

Binghamton stretched a 1-0 lead with three runs in the third and then put an exclamation point on the win with five runs in the seventh and final frame.

Sophomore left fielder Tommy Reifler led the offense with a 3-for-5, 3 RBI performance. Reifler belted his first collegiate home run in the fourth inning and added a two-run double in the seventh.

Sophomore first baseman Kevin Gsell went 3-for-3 and junior center fielder Shane Marshall added a 2-for-4, 2 RBI showing. Junior shortstop Jake Evans added two RBI.

While the game was still tight, Babalis took advantage of inning-ending double plays in four straight middle innings. Binghamton's defense turned a 5-3-5 twin killing to end the third after Gsell made a great throw back to senior third baseman Justin Drpich at the bag to cut down a Seawolves baserunner. In the fourth it was a 4-3 DP lineout, followed by a 6-4-3 in the fifth and a 4-6-3 inning-ender in the sixth.

The run support was more than enough for Babalis, who allowed only a triple in the second and a single in the fourth. He lowered his season ERA to 2.87 and dropping opposing hitters to a .197 mark.  

In Game 2, Stony Brook jumped out of the gate with 10 runs on 11 hits in the first three innings and held off a charging BU offense to gain the split. Down 10-2, Binghamton scored five straight runs to tighten the margin before the Seawolves added three more runs to keep BU at bay. The Bearcats put two on the board in the seventh and then had two on in the ninth before the rally fell short.

Gsell went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI. He belted his team-high fourth homer with one out in the second inning to get BU on the board. Senior right fielder Daniel Franchi belted a two-run home run in the seventh - his second of the season. Reifler went 2-for-5 with an RBI. 

The local-recruit bullpen tandem of Dom DiRado (3 IP) and Tanner Sinicki allowed just one combined run over the final four innings. 

The teams finish up the series with a doubleheader at noon on Sunday.