HAMILTON, N.Y. – Graduate student pitcher Chelsea Howard fired a three-hit shutout, highlighting Binghamton's non-conference softball doubleheader split at Colgate on Tuesday afternoon at Eaton Street Field. The Bearcats (13-13) blanked the Raiders (12-16) 2-0 in the opener but lost 8-0 in five innings in the nightcap.

Howard, who is now 5-5 so far this season, also struck out five batters and did not issue a walk. She now has a team-best two complete-game shutouts so far this season.

Offensively, freshman outfielder Alayna Harbaugh went 3-for-6 (.500) during the two games and drove in a run. She is now batting a team-high .370 and has a team-best and career-high six-game hitting streak.

Also at the plate, junior infielder Alex Musial was 2-for-5 (.400) with a double. In the process, she improved her current hitting streak to five games.

In the opener, senior infielder Alli Richmond broke a scoreless tie when she homered to lead off the top fourth inning. It was her second home run of the year as well as her team-best 14th RBI.

One inning later, Harbaugh singled home redshirt freshman pinch runner Lindsey Walter, padding the lead to 2-0.

From there, Howard retired nine of the final 11 Colgate batters of the game. At no point during her performance did she allow a runner past first base.

Despite striking out 16 batters, Mia Edwards was tagged with the loss, dropping her record to 2-5.

Game two was shaping up to be another pitcher's duel as the Raiders held on to a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. In that frame, however, Colgate got a three-run homer from Elizabeth Nitka and a grand slam by Steph Jacoby to blow the game open and take an 8-0 lead.

The Bearcats then went down in order in the top of the fifth inning.

Kaitlyn Borusso improved to 7-1 with the victory while sophomore pitcher Allison L'Amoreaux took the loss, dropping her record to 7-6.

Binghamton heads to UMass Lowell for a three-game America East Conference series this weekend. The two teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday followed by a single game at noon on Sunday.

NOTES: In the first game against Colgate, Harbaugh stole her 13th base of the season, which ranks first in the America East. Her batting average ranks seventh in the conference and her .441 on-base percentage is fifth. Musial, meanwhile, ranks sixth with a .435 on-base percentage.