UNION, N.J. – Binghamton baseball (15-15, 15-15 America East) and NJIT (18-22, 17-17 AE) split a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Jim Hynes Stadium on the campus of Kean University. The Bearcats won the opener 4-2 before NJIT countered with a 2-0 win in the nightcap. With the split, the teams remain tied in the standings, now with six games remaining in the regular season and only one playoff spot available between the two sides.

The opener went to extra innings and BU won it on a rare two-RBI sacrifice fly. In the eighth, sophomore first baseman Kevin Gsell led off with a single and junior center fielder Shane Marshall followed with a single. With one out, junior shortstop Jake Evans walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Zachary Taylor sent a ball to deep center and after the NJIT outfielder made the catch he fell to the ground, allowing both Marshall (from third) and T.J. Wegmann (from second) to score the go-ahead runs.

Sophomore reliever Tanner Beang (W, 3-0) worked the final two innings for the win. He replaced sophomore starter Thomas Babalis, who went 6.0 strong innings and only allowed one run with six strikeouts. Babalis set down 11 straight Highlanders at one point and scattered six hits in his outing, lowering his season ERA to 2.31.

The Bearcats trailed 1-0 before tying it with a run in the fourth. The teams then traded runs in the seventh inning.

Senior second baseman Alex Baratta went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Marshall went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Gsell went 2-for-3. Marshall's double to right field in the fourth knotted the score at 1-1. Baratta gave BU a 2-1 lead with a two-out, RBI single in the seventh.

The Highlanders forced extra-innings with a run on three walks and a fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh.

In the nightcap, NJIT plated single runs in the third and fourth inning and BU couldn't get its offense going. After collecting five hits but stranding six baserunners in the first three innings, the Bearcats managed just two hits over the final six innings and suffered just their third shutout loss of the season.

Sophomore starter Ryan Bryggman went 7.0 innings and scattered five hits and two runs. He struck out eight.

Baratta and Marshall had two hits apiece.

The teams will play two more games on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.