VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball (18-25) split a doubleheader with visiting Middle Tennessee State (17-30), winning 6-4 and losing 4-2 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Bearcats Baseball Stadium. The day began with BU honoring its 12 seniors in a pregame ceremony.
In the opener, BU rolled out a senior-laden lineup, did all its damage in the third inning and then held on as the Blue Raiders brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh (final) inning. Trailing 1-0 in the third, BU batted around and scored six runs on six hits. With one out, senior shortstop
Isaiah Corry belted a solo home run to left field to tie the game at 1-1. It was Corry's second home run of the season. The Bearcats then plated five runs with two out. Senior center fielder
Tommy Reifler was hit-by-pitch, senior first baseman
Andrew Tan and junior second baseman
Nick Roselli followed with singles. With the bases loaded, junior third baseman
Devan Bade stroked a two-run single to center, making it 3-1. Junior right fielder
Zach Rogacki brought in a run with an RBI single to center and senior catcher
Kevin Reilly continued the barrage with an RBI single for a 5-1 lead. The final run crossed on a passed ball.
Senior starter
Nelson Berkwich worked 5.1 innings and scattered seven hits and three runs with five strikeouts. Senior reliever
John Lumpinski pitched the final 1.2 innings for his second save of the season. MTSU scored a run in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate before a fly ball to center turned into a game-ending double play when the Blue Raiders' runner at first was doubled off by Reifler for an 8-8-3 double play.
Rogacki and Tan had two hits apiece and Bade collected two RBI.
In Game 2, BU's offense was held in check and MTSU stretched a 2-1 lead with two runs in the seventh on back-to-back two-out solo home runs. The Bearcats brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh before a strikeout stranded two. Then in the ninth, BU got one run back on a Tan solo home run (3rd of season) but a strikeout ended the game.
Tan went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Binghamton is off until hosting UMBC in a crucial America East series next weekend. The Bearcats currently sit in the sixth and final playoff spot (a half-game ahead of Maine) with six conference games remaining.
