LOWELL, Mass. - Senior third baseman Devan Bade went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI and sophomore starter Hayden Tarsia pitched seven innings of three-hit ball to carry Binghamton baseball (20-17, 9-7 America East) to an 8-1 win over UMass Lowell (14-26, 6-10 AE) in the series opener Friday night at LeLacheur Park.

The Bearcats led 3-1 before closing strong with a five-run ninth. The victory extended Binghamton's win streak to six games. 

Binghamton stranded five through the first three innings and UMass Lowell took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double steal. The score stood until Bade got rolling.

With two out in the fifth, senior right fielder Zach Rogacki drew a walk and Bade followed with a 2-run home run. He jumped on the first pitch and sent a rocket over the left field wall for his ninth home run of the season. UP 2-1, Binghamton added a run in the seventh. Freshman center fielder Matt Bolton led off with a single, moved to second on a Rogacki sacrifice and scored on a Bade double to left field. 

While the offense was heating up late, sophomore starter Hayden Tarsia (W, 3-2) kept the River Hawks quiet with a gem. He limited the hosts to one run on three hits (all singles) in 7.0 innings. Freshman Brady Bouchard pitched the final two frames, allowed just one single and earned his first collegiate save. 

In the ninth, the Bearcats broke it open with five runs on three hits. Bade ripped a run-scoring double inside the third base bag to make it 4-1. Junior second baseman Zack Kent hit an RBI single and two batters later, junior shortstop Mike Stellrecht cleared the bases with a double to right center, completing the scoring.

Bolton went 2-for-4, raised his team-high average to .365 and grabbed a share of the conference lead with 54 hits. 

The teams continue the series at 5 p.m. Saturday.