For Immediate Release: April 18, 2008
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

BU baseball edges Albany 5-4 on run in eighth inning
Bearcats have won four of last five conference games

Box Score

VESTAL, N.Y.– Binghamton (11-21, 4-5 AE) broke a 4-4 deadlock with an eighth- inning run and posted a 5-4 victory over visiting Albany (9-25-1, 4-5 AE) in the opening game of a four-game America East set Friday afternoon from sunny Varsity Field.

With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, junior shortstop Kyle Klee (Rochester, N.Y.) hit a grounder to the hole at short and beat out the potential double-play relay to allow freshman second baseman Jeff Abrams (Rochester, N.Y.) to score the winning run from third. Abrams had opened the inning with a single through the left side, took second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman right fielder Peter Bregartner (East Islip, N.Y.) and then advanced to third on an infield single by senior center fielder Ryan James (Wading River, N.Y.). Sophomore left fielder Joe Charron (Schaghticoke, N.Y.) was intentionally walked to load the bases for Klee, BU's clean-up hitter.

Then in the ninth inning, the Great Danes put the tying run on second with one out, but junior reliever Greg Lane (Binghamton, N.Y.) induced an infield pop-up and a strike out to end the game. Lane worked the final 1.2 innings for his third win of the season. He struck out two and allowed one hit.

Senior starter Zach Groh (Reading, Pa.) was near-flawless for six innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 10. He struck out seven of the first nine hitters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. But with two outs in the seventh, Albany chased Groh with four unearned runs on three singles, an error and a walk.

James went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Abrams and junior first baseman Ryan Holley (Frankfort, Ill.) had two hits apiece. In nine conference games this spring, James is hitting .471 (16-for-34). Charron went 1-for-3 with an RBI - his 11th in nine America East games.

The Bearcats outhit their guests 10-6, but left 12 runners stranded.

The teams continue their four-game set with a Saturday twinbill beginning at noon.