ORONO, Maine - Binghamton baseball (28-23) continued its record-setting offensive output with a 21-6 clubbing of UAlbany (22-31) in the Northeast Delta Dental America East Championship winners' bracket game Saturday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond.
With their third straight lopsided win, the Bearcats advance to Sunday's championship round, where they will have two tries to win one game and claim the conference crown and accompanying NCAA Regional berth. Binghamton will face top-seeded and defending champion Bryant, who eliminated UAlbany 8-2 later on Saturday.
The Bearcats shook off an early 2-1 deficit, scored in each of the first five innings and became the first America East team to register three straight tournament games of 12+ runs.
Junior shortstop
Mike Stellrecht keyed a 21-hit attack with a 5-for-5, 5-RBI performance. Stellrecht collected two doubles and his first home run of the season - the last of four Bearcat home runs on the day. His 5-hit day tied the conference tournament record for hits in a game and Stellrecht became the first Bearcat to go 5-for-5 in the postseason.
Senior third baseman
Devan Bade went 4-for-5 with a 2-run home run and three RBI. Senior catcher
Evin Sullivan had a 3-run home run and four RBI. Senior left fielder
Logan Haskell belted a 3-run home run. Freshman center fielder
Matt Bolton had three hits and three RBI and senior right fielder
Zach Rogacki totalled three RBI.
Freshman reliever
Brady Bouchard (W, 3-4) worked the final 4.2 innings and allowed just one run with five strikeouts.
Trailing 2-1 in the second inning, Binghamton exploded for seven runs as 11 men came to the plate. Bolton's RBI single tied the game at 2-2 and Rogacki followed with a 2-run double to the wall in right field. Two batters later, Sullivan lifted an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for a 3-run homer - his 13th of the season - and the rout was on.
Up 8-2, Binghamton added a run in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth to build a 15-5 cushion. Haskell hit his 3-run blast that fifth inning - his sixth long ball of the season.
Six runs in the seventh finished the onslaught for the Bearcats. Stellrecht led off the frame with his blast. Bade added a 2-run homer and then after batting around, Stellrecht capped his perfect day with a 2-run double down the right field line.
The Bearcats will enter Sunday's championship round having won six of their last seven games and six straight tournament games at Mahaney Diamond, where the program captured the 2022 America East title.
NOTES
Binghamton established program tournament records for runs (21), home runs (4) and RBI (21) in a game ... Stellrecht matched teammate Bolton, who had five hits in Friday's win and the pair own a share of the record for hits in a tournament game.
