America East Baseball News & Notes: Binghamton Stays Hot

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The Binghamton Bearcats are rapidly becoming the definitive story of America East baseball. Last weekend, in what was billed as a first-place showdown with Bryant University, the Bearcats delivered a statement sweep. Binghamton now carries an 11-game winning streak into the final four weekends of the season, bolstered by the latest conference Player of the Week.

Here is how last weekend played out across the league:

Binghamton Bearcats (21-13, 12-3 AE)

The Bearcats’ current streak is their longest since 2010; they have now won 14 of their last 16 games. The lineup features the league’s premier hitter in Sean Sweeney, who is batting .425 with a staggering 1.147 OPS. Complementing him is first baseman Steven Kraus, who has reached base in 32 consecutive games.

The standout of the week, however, was Tommy Popoff, the America East Player of the Week. Popoff hit .455 and slugged 1.182 over a 4-0 week, totaling two home runs and seven RBI. He proved to be the ultimate clutch performer against Bryant:

Friday: Hit a two-run HR that proved to be the game-winner in a 4-2 victory.
Saturday (Game 1): Homered in the 6th inning to secure the win.
Saturday (Game 2): Hit a two-run double to erase a Bulldog lead and ignite a comeback victory.

Popoff now ranks 8th in the league with 27 RBI. As a unit, the Bearcats are hitting .266 with a team ERA of 5.99.

Bryant Bulldogs (19-19, 7-8 AE)

For the Bulldogs, this marked the first time they have been swept in a series since 2023 (Maine). Bryant has struggled on the road (1-5 in league play) and is just 5-10 over their last 15 games. The primary culprit has been a bullpen unable to hold late leads; in six of their eight conference losses, the Bulldogs have surrendered the winning run in the seventh inning or later. This trend continued Saturday when the pen allowed an eight-run seventh inning in an 8-7 loss. A bright spot remains their aggression on the paths, as the team has racked up 119 stolen bases in 37 games.

UMBC (18-16, 7-5 AE) vs. UMass Lowell (15-20, 6-9 AE)

This series in Baltimore was pure chaos. It began Friday with a 13-0 UMBC run-rule win, fueled by a seven-run first inning that included three home runs—the last a grand slam by Brooks Henderson. America East Pitcher of the Week Eddie Sargent threw a complete-game six-hit shutout, dropping his ERA to 4.37.

The River Hawks bounced back Saturday with a 9-7 extra-inning win, highlighted by Ryan Strand’s clutch three-run triple in the tenth. UMBC ultimately took the series on Sunday in a 12-11 slugfest, capped by a walk-off single from Danny Wyatt (2 hits, 4 RBI).

Maine Black Bears (12-24, 7-5 AE)

Maine took two of three from NJIT last weekend. After a 2-run HR from Tray Carpenter secured a Friday win, the Black Bears split Saturday’s doubleheader. They clinched the series in the finale with a 4-2 win powered by homers from Nic Pepe, Shane Andrus, and Jack Quigley. Vann Larius earned the win, while Brennan Rumpt notched his first save.

The Black Bears carried that momentum into Tuesday, pulling off their biggest upset of the year with a 6-4 win over #22 Boston College. Owen Wheeler earned the win in relief, while Sebastian Holt secured his fourth save of the season.

Rookie of the Week: Cal Chance (UMass Lowell)

The River Hawks’ freshman was unstoppable, going 11-for-18 (.611) with seven RBI and five runs scored. Chance had a 5-for-6 performance against Stonehill, tying a program record with his second 5-hit game of the season. He currently leads his team in hits (47) and stolen bases (11) while maintaining a .315 average.

Next week: We look ahead to the final month of the season as the race for tournament seeding intensifies.