VESTAL, N.Y. – After falling 4-2 in the day's opener at Binghamton, the Colgate softball bats came up big in a 10-8 bounce-back victory to secure a Sunday split in a non-league doubleheader at the Bearcat Sports Complex.
 
First-year Nicole Rounsavill led Colgate for the day with a 4-for-7 showing at the plate and three RBI in the two games combined. Junior Holly Geranen followed with a 4-for-7 effort and two RBI. First-year Jessica Hay earned the victory in the circle.
 
The nightcap was tied at 2-2 thanks to RBI hits from first-year Jordan Miller and sophomore Lauren La Terra, but Binghamton used a two-run home run to take a 4-2 advantage through three innings.
 
Colgate answered with a five-spot in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Baillie Jorth was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before senior Katie Bushee used a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 4-4. An RBI two-run triple from Rounsavill was followed by an RBI double from Geranen to give the Raiders a 7-4 advantage.
 
Senior Tara Grennan sent a solo home run to center to lead off Colgate's two-run fifth inning before an RBI single off the bat of La Terra extended Colgate's lead to 9-4.
 
The Bearcats got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, but Geranen opened the sixth with a solo shot to center to put Colgate back ahead by five at 10-5. Binghamton plated two in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh, but senior pitcher Gillian Murray was able to close it out to secure the 10-8 Colgate victory.
 
The Raiders got on the board first in the day's opener when Geranen smoked a leadoff double to open the second inning. Rounsavill followed with a one-out double to give the Raiders an early 1-0 lead.
 
Junior starting pitcher Kyle Griswold kept the Bearcats scoreless until the third inning when Binghamton used a walk, stolen base and an RBI single to knot the score at 1-1 through three frames.
 
Binghamton then used three base hits, an RBI walk and RBI fielder's choice to plate two more runs in the fourth frame and take a 3-1 lead. The Bearcats added a single run in the following frame. Miller opened the top of the seventh with a leadoff home run, but the Raiders weren't able to get anything else as Binghamton held on for the 4-2 victory in the opener.
 
 
 
BOTTOM LINES

• Binghamton 4, Colgate 2
• Colgate 10, Binghamton 8

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• Colgate now sits at 8-20 overall.
• Binghamton moves to 10-17 on the season.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Rounsavill, La Terra, Geranen and Grennan all went 3-for-4 at the plate in the 10-8 victory. It marked a season high in hits for Rounsavill, and the second three-hit game of the season for both Geranen and Grennan.
• Hay earned her third victory of the season after throwing the first five innings of the 10-8 victory.  
• Miller's home run was her team-best fourth of the season.
• Grennan's home run in the nightcap was her first of the season and the 15th of her career.
• Geranen's homer was her third of the season and her 11th-career dinger.

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• Binghamton held a narrow 22-21 hit advantage in the two games combined, but the Raiders out-hit the Bearcats 16-13 in the 10-8 victory.
• Hay finished with a line of seven runs, six of which were earned, on 11 hits in 5.0 frames.
• Murray threw 4.0 innings in the two games combined, allowing just one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts.
• Griswold, who suffered the loss in the opener, went 4.0 frames, surrendering four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Melissa Finley

• "It was great to see our bats come alive in the second game and get back on the winning side of a game. We still have some work to do defensively to clean it up, but I was happy we found a way to win."

 
UP NEXT

• Colgate returns to Patriot League action next weekend when the Raiders make their home debut at Eaton Street Field with a three-game series against Lafayette.
• A Saturday doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m., while Sunday's single game is also slated for a noon start.