ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ

Sophomore pitcher Joe Swindells tossed four innings of one-hit ball and freshman left fielder Shaun McGraw sparked the offense with a 2-for-3, two-RBI showing to lead Binghamton baseball (11-15) to a 5-2 win over visiting Niagara (4-26) on April 12 from Varsity Field. The game was Binghamton’s first at home after starting the season with 25 straight road games and the victory extended the team’s season-high win streak to seven.

Swindells (1-1) was sharp in his predetermined four-inning stint. He gave up a second-inning single and nothing more, striking out five and walking none. Five other relievers followed and limited the Purple Eagles to two runs on five hits.

The Bearcats plated one run in the first and two in the second to jump ahead 3-0. Binghamton then added two more runs in the fifth inning before Niagara got a pair back in the eighth.

Senior catcher C.J. Lukaszewski got things started with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Lukaszewski drove a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for his first home run of the season.

Then in the second, McGraw ripped an RBI double to the wall in left center and two batteres later, sophomore third baseman Jordon Smucker brought him in with a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth inning, Binghamton pushed its lead to 5-0 when senior right fielder Peter Bregartner and McGraw collected RBI singles as part of a two-run, three-hit inning. Junior first baseman Dave Ciocchi led off the inning with a double and scored on Bregartner’s hit through the right side.

Niagara plated two runs on two hits and a pair of wild pitches in the eighth before sophomore closer Lee Sosa pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season.