The Stony Brook softball team tallied 29 runs off 24 hits and took two of three games against the Binghamton Bearcats in the team’s third America East conference series of the season.
“It was a great team effort to get the win and the series,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said in a press release following Sunday’s victory. “We were outstanding offensively, defensively, and in the circle. We left it all on the field today and showed real toughness in bitter cold weather. Each America East opportunity is important and we responded well this weekend.”
Stony Brook quickly jumped out to a lead it would not surrender Sunday afternoon. Sophomore pitcher Melissa Rahrich drove in sophomore right fielder Jourdin Hering with a double to left centerfield to start the scoring barrage. Sophomore designated hitter Taylor Pechin drove in senior left fielder Ileana Torres with a ground out in the following at bat to take a 2-0 lead. Rahrich and junior catcher Irene Rivera scored off an error by Bearcats senior third baseman Kate Richard to increase the lead to 4-0 in the top of the first inning.
Rahrich and Rivera added to the Seawolves lead in the top of the third by scoring off a sacrifice fly and ground ball to first base to increase the lead to six runs. Four consecutive Seawolves reached base to begin the top of the fourth, which resulted in freshman second baseman Nicole McCarvill advancing home on a bases loaded walk for another run. Sophomore third baseman Riley Craig later drove in two runs with an RBI single after junior centerfielder Katelyn Corr drove in a run to give the Seawolves a 10-0 lead.
Rahrich rebounded from giving up seven runs in her last outing by shutting out the Bearcats offense. The sophomore ace finished the game with three strikeouts while allowing only two hits. The game was called after the bottom of the fifth due to the mercy rule, giving Stony Brook the 10-0 victory in the rubber game of the series.
Binghamton’s lone victory came in game two of Saturday afternoon’s doubleheader. Rivera’s third home run of the season gave the Seawolves a two-run lead to begin the game, but Richard cut the score to 2-1 off a sacrifice fly to right field. The Bearcats offense exploded in the bottom of the second with Richard’s two-run home run to left centerfield capping off a six-run inning to take a 7-2 lead.
Stony Brook responded by scoring four runs in the top of the third to cut the score to 7-6, but it was the closest the team would get to tying the game. Freshman shortstop Makayla Alvarez increased the lead to 8-6 with a home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. Binghamton added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 10-6, the eventual final score.
Both teams traded first inning home runs to open the series, but Stony Brook retained the offensive momentum in the game. The Seawolves scored four runs in the top of the second, capped off by an RBI double by Rivera to score Rahrich and take a 6-2 lead. Richard cut into the lead for the Bearcats with an RBI triple to right field in the bottom of the third, but a Binghamton error gave Stony Brook an 8-3 lead in the top of the fourth.
The duo of Rahrich and Rivera connected with consecutive RBI plays to give the Seawolves a 10-3 lead in the top of the fifth. The Seawolves followed up by adding three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, including one off a double steal to increase their lead to 13-3. Binghamton sophomore designated hitter Rozlyn Price crushed a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Seawolves’ lead to 13-7 in a last effort attempt to spark a comeback, but the deficit was too insurmountable to overcome.
The Seawolves will return to action at University Field at 3 p.m on Tuesday, April 17 to take on St. John’s in a game that had been rescheduled due to inclement weather.
