For Immediate Release: March 27, 2011
Contact: David O'Brian (dobrian@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6478

BU softball completes series sweep at Hartford with 13-2 victory
Phillips homers twice, Bearcats tie Division I era record with 16 hits

Box Score: Binghamton 13, Hartford 2

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Sophomore outfielder Jessica Phillips hit two home runs, powering Binghamton (10-7, 3-0 AE) to a 13-2, six-inning win over Hartford (3-14, 0-3 AE) in an America East Conference softball game on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Bearcats sweep the three-game weekend series from the host Hawks.

In addition to reaching the 10-run mark for the third straight game, Binghamton tied its NCAA Division I-era record with 16 hits, a mark it set against Vermont on May 7, 2005 and later tied against Stony Brook on April 9, 2006. The all-time program mark of 19 hits was set against Geneva on March 21, 1998, when Binghamton was still competing at the Division II level.

"Our offense kept going today," head coach Michelle Burrell said. "We were glad that we were able to pick up where we left off yesterday."

Phillips, meanwhile, now has four career games with two home runs. She is the most recent Bearcat to have accomplished that feat, having last done so against St. Bonaventure on April 28, 2010. Against Hartford on Sunday, Phillips went a perfect 3-for-3, scored a career-high four runs and tied her career high with four RBI.

In her last four games, Phillips has hit five home runs. She is the first player in school history ever to homer in four consecutive games.

Also going 3-for-3 for Binghamton on Sunday was junior third baseman Colleen Whitaker, who hit a two-run home run and finished with three RBI. Senior catcher Deannie Plemon added a triple, a home run and also drove in three runs.

It didn't take long for Phillips to get going, as she drilled a solo home run in the top of the first inning, putting the Bearcats up 1-0. Hartford tied the game in the bottom of the same inning on a RBI single by Nicole Springer.

Phillips and Plemon hit back-to-back home runs to key a four-run third inning as Binghamton went ahead at 5-1. After Phillips' two-run shot, Plemon belted her second home run in as many games.

One inning later, Binghamton tacked on another four runs to go up 9-1. Phillips singled in a run and later scored on a RBI single by Whitaker.

After Hartford got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Bearcats iced the game with four more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Plemon had a two-run triple and scored one batter later when Whitaker hit a two-run home run.

Sophomore pitcher Rhoda Marsteller got the win and is now 3-3. Springer took the loss and has a record of 0-3. Both Hartford runs were unearned.

Freshman shortstop Jessica Bump went 3-for-4, scored three times and drove in a pair of runs. Freshman second baseman Lisa Cutrona also scored twice.

Binghamton heads to St. Bonaventure on Thursday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.

NOTES: Phillips is now hitting a conference-best .520 this year. She also leads the Bearcats with eight home runs, 26 RBI and has scored 20 runs. In addition, she has a 1.140 slugging percentage and a .619 on-base percentage. In the weekend series against Hartford, Phillips went 8-for-9 (.889), homered four times and drove in 11 runs. She also scored nine times and drew a pair of walks ... in 17 games this season, Binghamton as a team has hit 23 home runs ... the three-game conference sweep is Binghamton's first on the road since it joined the America East in 2002 ... Plemon currently has a six-game hitting streak, having gone 8-for-20 (.400) during that stretch. Against Hartford, she went 5-for-12 (.417), homered twice and drove in eight runs.