VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball (15-17) built an early 6-1 lead and defeated visiting Cornell (10-14) 8-5 on a chilly, windy Tuesday night at Bearcats Baseball Stadium. By mid-game, temperatures dipped into the mid-30s and wind gusts approached 35 miles per hour. 

A combined 13 pitchers from both teams were challenged with the weather, leading to 19 walks and eight wild pitches.

Senior left fielder Zach Rogacki gave the Bearcats an early lead with a no-doubt, two-run home run in the third inning. After freshman center fielder Matt Bolton drew a two-out walk, Rogacki jumped on the first pitch he saw and drilled it some 420 feet over the bullpen in right field. 

Binghamton added three runs on four walks and three hit batters in the fourth to offset a Cornell single tally in the top of the frame. The Big Red trimmed their deficit to two, 6-4 with three runs in the seventh. But Binghamton answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. 

Rogacki ran his home run count to four and his RBI total to 24 with a three-RBI game. Junior second baseman Zack Kent went 2-for-3 with an RBI double off the wall in the seventh. 

The Bearcats were outhit 9-5 but seven Binghamton pitchers combined to leave 14 Big Red runners stranded on the bases.

Senior starter Caden Rothbaum worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Graduate reliever Ryan Packard (W, 3-3) also went two innings. Sophomore Jake Dally finished the game with 1.1 closing innings for his second save of the season. Dally struck out three. 

Binghamton now preps for an important weekend series against league-leading NJIT, beginning Friday night at the Stadium.