VESTAL, N.Y. - Visiting UMass Lowell (8-9, 1-0 America East) scored the game's final five runs, including two in the 10th inning to overtake Binghamton baseball (6-11, 1-3 AE) 7-5 in the series opener Friday afternoon at the Bearcats Baseball Complex.
Binghamton led 5-2 after six innings but couldn't hold off the River Hawks, who outhit the Bearcats 10-6 and rallied with runs in four of the final five innings.
The loss spoiled a strong outing from junior starter
Conner Griffin, who struck out seven in 6.0 innings. Griffin scattered five hits and two runs and parted with a 5-2 lead.Â
The Bearcats packed their scoring into two innings with three in the fourth and two in the sixth. But the lineup was blanked in the other eight innings.
Junior DH
Zach Anderson went 2-for-4 with a 2-run home run and three RBI.Â
In the fourth, the Bearcats jumped ahead with three runs on two hits. Senior second baseman
Zack Kent led off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore center fielder
Matt Bolton followed with an infield single and classmate
Steven Kraus plated Kent with a sacrifice fly to left for a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Anderson took an 0-2 pitch well over the wall in left field for a 3-0 lead. It was Anderson's second homer of the spring.Â
After UML scored twice in the sixth to make it 3-2, the Bearcats answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to restore their three-run margin. Kraus singled with one out and sophomore catcher
Tommy Popoff drew a 13-pitch walk. Anderson came through with an RBI single inside the third base bag for a 4-2 lead. Sophomore left fielder
Grant Hunter then dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Popoff with the team's fifth and final run.
But the River Hawks scored once in the seventh and twice in the eighth to tie it at 5-5. UML then put the leadoff hitter on in the 10th and wound up scoring twice for the win.
The teams are scheduled to play a single game at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the possibility of altering that to a DH as the weekend forecast comes further into focus. Â
