ORONO, Maine – It took 20 innings on Sunday, but No. 3 Binghamton overcame a first-game loss and a two-run deficit in game two to capture the Northeast Delta Dental Baseball Championship with a 6-5 victory over top seed Bryant in 11 innings at Mahaney Diamond on the campus of the University of Maine.
The Bearcats dropped the opening contest 7-3 on Sunday and trailed 2-0 after two innings in the nightcap, but found a way to come back. They tied it and then took a 5-3 lead before Bryant evened it 5-5 in the 8th. An 11th inning sacrifice fly proved to be the difference in giving Binghamton its sixth conference title.
Devan Bade was a man possessed this week on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player. He tied an America East record, last matched in 1996, with 12 hits, while batting .545 with 12 RBI, one short of the championship record of 13 set in 1996. In the final game he was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Bade headlined the All-Championship team, alongside teammates Freddy Forgione, Zach Kent and Zach Rogacki. Bryant’s Luke Delongchamp, Toby Scheidt and Jackson Vanesko were named from Bryant. Also selected were Leewood Molessa (UMBC), Myles Sargent (Maine), Cole Campbell (NJIT), MT Morrissey (NJIT), Matthew Mariano (UAlbany) and Levi McAllister (UAlbany).
In addition to his All-Championship team honors, Rogacki was also named the winner of the Elite 18 award for owning the highest GPA of any athlete in uniform on Sunday. The senior Biological Sciences major owns a 3.75 GPA.
Binghamton will find out its NCAA Tournament draw when the selection show airs Monday at 12 pm on ESPN2.
Game 1: No. 1 Bryant 7, No. 3 Binghamton 3
- Bryant scored twice in the first on a pair of singles for a 2-0 advantage, but Binghamton evened up the score 2-2 in the third.
- In the fifth Zac Zyons put Bryant in front on a sac bunt and Drew Wyers followed with a three-run homer for a 6-2 lead. Pat D’Amico made it back-to-back homers and a 7-2 lead.
- Binghamton added one run in the sixth, but Toby Scheidt came in and shut the door. He allowed just one hit over 4.0 innings with two strikeouts. Wyers went 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace the offense.
Game 2: No. 3 Binghamton 6, No. 1 Bryant 6 (11 inn.)
- The Bulldogs kept the offense going in game two with two runs in the bottom of the second using some small ball with a pair of bunt singles to drive in each run.
- Binghamton answered in the top of the third as Matt Bolton doubled home a run and Bade drove in the tying run. Bryant quickly took the lead back in the bottom of the frame.
- Freddy Forgione gave the Bearcats a 5-3 lead with a two-run homer in the fifth, but Bryant tied it back up in the bottom of the eighth.
- The game went to extra innings and in the 11th back-to-back singles gave Binghamton a pair of runners. A bunt advanced both and Abraham lined out to left, deep enough to score Kent for the go-ahead run.
- Ben Griffith sent Bryant down in order in the 11th to earn the win and secure the championship. Four pitchers combined to allow four earned runs on eight hits for the Bearcats.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
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