For Immediate Release: May 22, 2006
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

Binghamton baseball season ends with 12-3 loss at Stony Brook
Bearcats fall short in bid for second straight postseason berth

Box Score

STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Playing its fifth game in four days following an overnight bus trip to Long Island, Binghamton (27-23-1, 12-11 America East) came up short in what amounted to a postseason play-in game, losing 12-3 to host Stony Brook (23-27, 13-8 AE) Monday afternoon from University Field. With the loss in a make-up game, BU finished a half-game behind Albany (12-10) for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The team, which didn't settle into their hotel until after 3 a.m. Monday morning after the overnight trip, was up against the wall with a makeshift pitching staff and never gained any offensive momentum. The Bearcats missed an opportunity to jump on the board in the first inning, squandering a two-on, no-out situation. Binghamton then put the leadoff runner on in the third inning but could not cash in. In all, four Stony Brook pitchers limited the Bearcats to five hits with nine strikeouts over nine innings.

Stony Brook scored single runs in the first and third innings and broke the game open in the fifth inning with four runs, all coming after two outs. The Seawolves plated runs in six of eight innings, including the final four frames. The Bearcats compounded their problems by committing four errors.

Junior shortstop Justin Smucker (Bird-in-Hand, Pa.) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and finished the season on a 13-game hitting streak. Senior center fielder Aaron Davis (San Francisco, Calif.) went 1-for-3 to finish his collegiate career on a high note. Davis, who hit .338 in conference play, went 8-for-17 over his last four games (.471). Junior second baseman Matt Simek (Vestal, N.Y.) belted a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning.

Binghamton will now await the all-conference awards, which will be released Wednesday night at the America East Championship banquet in Burlington, Vt.