With just three weeks left in the regular season, crunch time in America East softball truly begins as two fight for playoff positioning. Three series take place this weekend with Albany hosting UMBC, Binghamton visiting Hartford and Stony Brook heading to Maine.
UMBC at Albany -- Live Stats
Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 12 p.m.
Albany (25-10, 8-1 AE), holder of America East's best record, hosts UMBC (8-32, 1-11 AE) this weekend and can lock up a spot in the conference tournament this weekend with two or three wins ans some help. The Great Danes, winners of 20 of their last 24 games, have the league's to pitching staff and tout a league-best 2.57 team ERA. The Retrievers come in having dropped 11 straight but boast a formidable offense (.267 team average) which is led by the league's top hitter, Taylor hall, who's hitting a league-best .411 on the season.
Binghamton at Hartford -- Live Stats | Live Video
Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 12 p.m.
Binghamton (19-12, 8-1) enters its series at Hartford (15-23, 4-5 AE) tied with Albany atop the league standings. The Bearcats, winners of eight straight, can also lock up a spot in the tourney field with two or three wins this weekend and some help. It would be just their second championship berth in program history. The Hawk can also inch closer to a tournament bid with a strong weekend. They've won two of their three conference series so far, taking two of three from both Stony Brook and Boston U.
Stony Brook at Maine -- Live Stats
Game 1: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, 11 a.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Stony Brook (23-18, 5-4 AE) head to Maine (6-32, 2-7 AE) in a series with postseason implications. The Seawolves, winners of 11 of their last 14, can get closer to a tournament bid with a series win over the Black Bears. Maine on the other hand, needs a series win to keep its tournament chances realistic.