SAN MARCOS, Texas - Binghamton baseball (0-1) kept Sun Belt Conference power Texas State (1-0) off the board for six of eight innings but dropped a 4-1 decision in its season opener Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Bearcats received 11 strikeouts on the mound from the tandem of
Ryan Bates (7K) and
Ryan Packard (4K), who each tossed four strong innings. Offensively, Binghamton put runners on base in five straight middle innings but were denied the key hit and left nine stranded.
Texas State scored twice in the first and finished off the scoring with two more fortuitous runs in the seventh, with just one ball leaving the infield.
Binghamton scored its lone run with a highlight-reel inside-the-park home run in the top of the third. In his first collegiate at-bat, freshman center fielder
Matt Bolton drove a 3-2 pitch to the wall in right center. As the Bobcats' fielder couldn't haul in the deep drive with a dive at the wall, Bolton motored around and beat the relay throw to the plate with a head-first slide.
The Bearcats had golden opportunities to tie or take the lead after putting the first two hitters on in both the fifth and sixth innings. But a bases-loaded fly ended the fifth-inning threat and three straight strikeouts closed the sixth. Binghamton was limited to five hits - all by the Nos. 6, 7 and 8 hitters. Junior shortstop
Mike Stellrecht and graduate first baseman
Freddy Forgione each went 2-for-4, in addition to Bolton's initial hit.
Bates allowed just three hits and two runs in his first outing since last March. He retired eight of the last nine hitters he faced before giving way to Packard, who was equally sharp in his first outing as a Bearcat. Packard set down the first six Texas State hitters and the two "Ryans" faced the minimum in the second through sixth innings. Senior catcher
Zach Rogacki aided his pitchers by throwing out two Bobcat baserunners.
The teams continue the three-game set with a 3:30 p.m. (ET) start on Saturday., Freshman
Brady Bouchard makes his first collegiate start.
