VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball (25-23, 13-11 America East) dug an early deficit and one day after rallying from eight runs down, couldn't replicate the feat and lost 11-5 to visiting UAlbany (20-30, 10-14 AE) Saturday afternoon at Bearcats Baseball Complex.

The loss, combined with NJIT's win over UMass Lowell gives the Bearcats the No. 3 seed for the upcoming America East tournament in Maine. Binghamton will open play with a single-elimination game against No. 6 UMBC at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Mahaney Diamond. A win would put the Bearcats into the full four-team, double-elimination bracket, which begins Thursday in Orono.

The Great Danes scored eight runs on 12 hits in the first three innings to take a commanding 8-1 lead. Binghamton began to chip away with a run in the second, three in the third and another in the fourth to pull within three, 8-5. The Bearcats then had chances to forge a tie in both the fifth and sixth innings but left the bases loaded in the fifth and stranded two in the sixth. Binghamton then was kept off the board over the final five innings. 

In the third inning, Bing went back-to-back to start its climb. Freshman center fielder Matt Bolton led off with a single and with two out, senior catcher Evin Sullivan belted a two-run blast - his 12th of the season. Graduate first baseman Freddy Forgione followed with a solo blast for his 11th home run of the season. That brought the Bearcats to within four, 8-4. One inning later, freshman DH Steven Kraus launched a solo home run to right to pull the Bearcats to within three, down 8-5. 

But five hours after completing a dramatic rally from 13-5 down with a 15-14 walkoff win, Binghamton couldn't do it again. UAlbany closed the scoring with three runs in the eighth.

Sullivan went 2-for-5 with the home run and two RBI. Forgione went 2-for-3 with an RBI and in the process, tied the school record for consecutive games reaching base at 32. Bolton ran his team-high season hit count to 66 with two hits. 

Before the game, Binghamton honored its eight seniors: Devan Bade, Freddy Forgione, Logan Haskell, Ryan Packard, Zach Rogacki, Caden Rothbaum, Chris Sleeper and Evin Sullivan.