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Fourth-seeded Albany (20-30) scored two runs in the eighth inning and added two more in the ninth to rally past third-seeded Binghamton (21-28) 4-1 in an elimination game of the America East tournament on May 26 from Stony Brook’s Joe Nathan Field. The Bearcats stranded 10 runners and saw their season come to an end after two late-inning defeats in the championship.

Junior Mike Augliera tossed seven strong innings and was six outs away from a win after averting trouble throughout. He allowed baserunners in every inning but escaped unscathed until the eighth, when the Great Danes scored twice to seize the lead. Albany used a leadoff double and ensuing RBI single to tie the game. Freshman reliever Chris Nagorski entered and after a sacrifice moved the go-ahead runner to second, Albany got a single to shallow left field to put runners on first and third. The Great Danes took the lead with a suicide squeeze placed between the mound and first.

Binghamton had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth when senior right fielder Peter Bregartner led off by hammering a double to the wall in center field. But the Bearcat lineup fizzled behind him with two strikeouts, a walk and lineout to center killing the threat. It was the second time Bregartner had led off an inning with a double, only to be stranded at second (4th inning).

Just as Maine did in its final at-bat against the Bearcats a day earlier, Albany added crucial insurance runs in the ninth off Binghamton’s bullpen for the final margin.

Binghamton broke out on top 1-0 in the fifth, taking advantage of a two-out fielding error. Junior first baseman Dave Ciocchi chopped a ball to third that handcuffed the Albany fielder. Ciocchi then stole second and scored on an RBI single by Bregartner, who sliced a 1-2 pitch through the left side.

Augliera (6-5) struck out four, walked three and gave up two runs. He started a 1-6-3 double play to get out of a jam in the first, picked off a runner to help his cause in the third and left a runner stranded on third in the second and fourth innings and another stranded on second in the fifth. He further escaped trouble in the sixth after Albany put its first two hitters on base. Senior catcher C.J. Lukaszewski fired to third to get the force on a botched sacrifice bunt and Augliera did the rest with a strikeout and groundout to strand two more runners.

In the seventh, Albany had runners on first and third with one out before an odd double play ended the threat. Augliera recorded a strikeout and with the Albany runner breaking toward second, the batter interfered with Lukaszewski’s attempt to throw, providing the third out.

Bregartner went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz was 2-for-5.