Vestal, N.Y. - UAlbany starter and all-conference first-team honoree Dave Kubiak went eight innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts to lead the Great Danes to a 9-6 win over top-seeded Binghamton in the first round of the America East Conference Baseball Tournament at Varsity Field on Wednesday afternoon. The win marked the first time since 2004 that the four seed defeated the top team in the first game of the tournament.

            UAlbany scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to secure the win. Shortstop Kyle Crean led off with a double and came home on an RBI single by Pete DiResta. After a single by Nolan Gaige and a walk issued to Adam Cutspec, all-rookie team member Brian Bullard drove a two-RBI double into right field to give the Great Danes the three-run lead. Reliever Greg Lutton shut down the Binghamton offense to help advance UAlbany in the winners bracket.

            Binghamton got on the board first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Jeff Skelhorn-Gross drove an RBI single into centerfield, scoring Corey Taylor. Jeff Abrams followed with a base hit that sent Mike Thompson across home, giving the Bearcats a 2-0 advantage. UAlbany responded with one run in the top of the third, as centerfielder Brendan Rowland drove a triple down the right field line, which scored leadoff hitter Gaige, who reached on a Binghamton throwing error.

            The Great Danes added a second run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. Gaige knocked a single through the right side to score Greg Muller, who started off the inning with a base hit up the middle. However, Binghamton took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Joe Charron drove a double into left field to send two runners home. A UAlbany throwing error allowed Charron to advance to third, and sent the final Bearcat run across home plate.

            The Great Danes scored a single run in the sixth before tying it up at 5-5 in the top of the seventh. Third baseman Ralph Rizzo led off the sixth with a double, and was driven in on a two-bagger by Gaige. In the seventh, Rowland smashed his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left center. With two outs, Crean tied the game up, hitting a solo homer over the right field fence.

            Binghamton (30-19) scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh, while UAlbany knotted the game for the third time in the top of the eighth. Cutspec, who doubled earlier in the inning, came home on a wild pitch to tie the contest at 6-6.

            Kubiak scattered seven hits in the win, and was relieved by sophomore lefty Lutton in the ninth. Lutton, an all-conference second-team selection, earned his team-leading third save of the season.

UAlbany (12-38) advances to face third-seeded Stony Brook at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

-agate-

UAlbany (10-38)            001       101       213       -           9          18        5

Binghamton (30-18)       020       030       100       -           6          8          4

            UAlbany: Dave Kubiak, Greg Lutton (9) and Ralph Keppler.

            Binghamton: James Giulietti, Joe Swindells (6), Zach Juliano (8), Alex Adami (8) and C.J. Lukaszewski.

UAlbany 9, Binghamton 6 (May 26, 2010)

The Automated ScoreBook
#4 Albany at #1 Binghamton Univ.
May 26, 2010 at Vestal, N.Y. (Varsity Field)

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
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Albany.............. 001 101 213 -  9 17  5
Binghamton Univ..... 020 030 100 -  6  8  4
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