DELAND, Fla. – Binghamton (0-2) lost its first two games at the Stetson/Frank Griffin Classic on Friday at Patricia Wilson Field. The Bearcats fell short against Tennessee-Chattanooga (UTC) 4-3 in the opener and were edged 1-0 by the host Hatters in the finale.

Junior first baseman Emma Lawson hit a team-best .500, going 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles during the two games. All of her hits took place in the first game against UTC. In the process, Lawson tied her career high with three hits and set her career high with a pair of doubles.

Graduate student outfield Lindsey Walter and senior third baseman Sarah Rende each went 2-for-6 (.333). Fellow graduate student outfield Brianna Santos was 2-for-7 with a triple and a run scored. All three players collected a hit in both games.

Santos' triple led off the bottom of the first inning with the Bearcats trailing UTC 2-0. She later advanced home during a steal attempt.

Binghamton was down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Lawson belted her second double of the game. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Elisa Allen drilled a two-run home run, trimming the deficit to 4-3.

The Bearcats left the tying run on first base when the game ended one inning later.

Taylor Long notched a complete-game victory in her first game of the season. Taking the loss in her first start of the season was junior pitcher Brianna Roberts.

Game two was scoreless through the first four innings. That stretch featured a pair of impressive plays by the Bearcat outfield to keep the Hatters off the scoreboard. In the bottom of the third inning, Santos made an over-the-shoulder catch in right field. One inning later, Walter made a full-out extension catch in center field.

Stetson, however, finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning on a RBI single from Addison Foster. The Bearcat threatened in the top of the seventh inning but left a pair of runners on base when the game ended.

Caitlin Kulcyzski got the win in her first decision of the year while Kennedy Temples picked up a two-inning save. The loss was tagged to junior pitcher Olivia Kennedy in her first decision of the season. 

Sophomore pitcher Delaney Glover started the second game and pitched four scoreless innings.

Binghamton returns for Day Two of the Stetson/Frank Griffin Classic on Saturday with games against Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) at 9:30 a.m. and UTC at noon. 

NOTES: UTC is the defending Southern Conference champion .. dating back to last season, Walter currently has a team-best five-game hitting streak. With 96 career hits, she needs just four more hits to reach the century mark ... Lawson previously had three hits against Colgate on April 24, 2024. She is also the first Binghamton player to hit a pair of double since Hailey Ehlers in that same game against the Raiders.