VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball (6-9, 1-0 America East) broke open a close game with six straight runs and toppled visiting NJIT (5-11, 0-1 AE) 8-1 in the America East opener for both teams Friday afternoon at brisk Bearcats Baseball Stadium.

The Bearcats scored runs in four of their last five innings and took advantage of nine Highlander walks to efficiently score eight runs on eight hits. 

Senior leadoff hitter Tommy Reifler went 3-for-4 with two RBI and junior outfield mate Logan Haskell followed Reifler in the order with two RBI as well. Seven Bearcats had either a hit or an RBI.

Senior ace Gabe Driscoll (W, 2-2) limited NJIT to one run on four hits over 5.2 innings. Driscoll retired the first eight batters and wound up with six strikeouts before giving way to senior John Lumpinski (S), who pitched the final 3.1 scoreless frames for his first save of the season. Lumpinski struck out three. 

After leaving two stranded in the first inning, Binghamton got on the board with a pair of runs in the second. Two walks and a sharp infield single from Reifler loaded the bases and BU plated runs on a fielding error and subsequent walk to take a 2-0 lead. NJIT scored its lone run in the fourth on a solo home run - the only glitch in Driscoll's afternoon. But BU answered with a run in the bottom of the frame on a Haskell sacrifice fly. 

In the sixth, the Bearcats scored two more runs. Sophomore shortstop Mike Stellrecht led off with a double and two batters later, Reifler brought him home with an RBI single to make it 4-1. Haskell followed with an RBI double into the left field corner on a hit-and-run. Up 5-1, BU added two runs in the seventh and a final run in the eighth. 

Lumpinski entered the game in the sixth and left two runners stranded with a groundout. He then used a strikeout and inning-ending double play to work through a clean seventh. Lumpinski then worked 1-2-3 eighth and ninth innings to close it out.

The teams continue their three-game weekend set with a single game at 2 p.m. Saturday.