VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball (23-16, 12-3 America East) plays its final home series of the regular season when the first-place Bearcats welcome second-place Maine (15-26, 9-6 AE) for a weekend series. The teams tangle Friday and Saturday afternoons before closing with a Sunday morning start. 

The Bearcats have won 11 consecutive conference games and sit atop the America East standings. Binghamton has a three-game cushion with nine games remaining in the conference slate. The team ranks first in the America East in fielding (.974), fourth in batting (.268) and fifth in pitching (6.42 ERA).

Sophomore catcher Tommy Popoff rattled off an exceptional month of April (1.4 RBI/game) and is hitting .331 with a team-high 39 RBI. Sophomore center fielder Matt Bolton is batting .336 with a team-best 18 extra-base hits and 35 RBI. Sophomore second baseman Sean Sweeney continues to lead the America East with a .463 average. 

Maine has won 10 of its last 14 and is in second place in the standings. The Black Bears split two non-conference games this week, beating Division III Bowdoin 11-6 Tuesday before losing to Northeastern 5-1 Wednesday. The team ranks second in the America East in fielding (.972), fifth in hitting (.254) and sixth in pitching (6.43 ERA). Freshman third baseman Troy Carpenter leads the conference with 13 home runs and 43 RBI.

Maine leads the all-time series 49-45, thanks to 10 wins in the last 16 matchups. Last year, however, the Bearcats went 4-2 vs. Maine, taking two in each of the two series.'   

Admission to all home Binghamton baseball games this season is free on behalf of United Health Services (UHS).

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, May 1 - 3 p.m. 
RHP Jackson Mitchell (3-0, 2.97 ERA) vs. RHP Jason Krieger (1-5, 5.37 ERA) | Live Video | Live Stats

Saturday, May 2 - 2 p.m. (SENIOR DAY)
RHP Conner Griffin (1-3, 5.95 ERA) vs. RHP Gianni Gambardella (5-4, 5.40 ERA) | Live Video | Live Stats

Sunday, May 3 - 11 a.m.
RHP Mason Holloway (2-2, 5.24 ERA) vs. RHP Vaun Larisa (2-3, 5.44 ERA) | Live Video | Live Stats