VESTAL, N.Y. – Top-seeded Binghamton walked it off, 6-5, in the opener to stay perfect and advance to Saturday’s championship, while Maine overcame the loss to take down UMBC, 11-6, in the nightcap and punch its ticket to the title contest.

Binghamton took leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but No. 3 Maine jumped in front 4-2 and then led 5-4 going into the bottom of the ninth. The Bearcats loaded the bases, and Zach Anderson worked a bases-loaded walk to secure the 6-5 victory.

Maine got to No. 2 UMBC early with seven runs in the top of the first inning. UMBC trimmed the deficit to 7-5 in the bottom of the second, but Maine added another run and pushed the lead to 10-5 before coming away with the 11-6 win.

No. 1 Binghamton will battle No. 3 Maine for the conference championship tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Any changes to first pitch due to weather will be announced tomorrow on AmericaEast.com, as well as on X and Instagram at @AmericaEast.

The complete championship schedule, along with links to box scores and highlights, can be found at Championship Central.


 

No. 1 Binghamton 6, No. 3 Maine 5

• The Bearcats grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Matt Bolton double in the third, but Albert De La Rosa evened it up with a solo home run in the top of the fourth.
• Binghamton pulled in front 2-1 in the fifth; however, in the seventh, the Black Bears plated three runs on three singles to grab a 4-2 advantage.
• The Bearcats got a run back in the bottom of the frame on a groundout and then added another on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to tie it at 4-4.
• Hunter St. Denis launched a solo home run to give Maine a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
• Binghamton had two on with two out, and Zach Kent took a walk on four straight pitches to load the bases. Caden Albright was hit by the first pitch he saw to tie the game, and then Zach Anderson drew a walk on a full count to secure the walk-off victory.
• Hayden Tarsia earned the win with 2.2 innings of relief and just one run allowed, while Bolton went 1-for-2, drew three walks, and scored the game-winning run.

 

No. 3 Maine 11, No. 2 UMBC 6

• Maine wasted no time jumping on UMBC’s starter, with three of the first four batters reaching base, and Shane Andrus extended the lead to 3-0 with a two-RBI single.
• Albert De La Rosa doubled home a pair, while Brody Rasmussen and Nic Pepe each drove in runs for a 7-0 advantage after the top of the first.
• The Retrievers responded in the bottom of the first with three runs, highlighted by a Danny Orr double to right-center that scored a pair.
• UMBC closed the gap in the second with a pair of runs, including another single from Dylan Melton to cut the deficit to 7-5.
• Rasmussen drove home Quinn Murphy on a sacrifice fly in the third to push the lead back to three, 8-5.
• Andrus drove home two more runs in the fourth, as Hunter St. Denis and Pepe scored on his double to left for a 10-5 advantage.
• Troy Carpenter made it 11-5 in the eighth, and the Black Bears held on for the win.
• Shane Andrus finished 4-for-5 with four RBI, while Pierce Friedman earned the win with 6.1 innings of relief, allowing just one run on five hits with two strikeouts.
• Melton finished 3-for-5 for UMBC to conclude the championship 11-for-14, setting a new championship record for batting average at .786

ABOUT AMERICA EAST  
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.   
  
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