VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Maine baseball team swept a doubleheader from Binghamton on Sunday afternoon and clinched the America East regular-season title.

Maine won the first game 4-3, before taking the second game, 13-7, in 10 innings. The Black Bears improved to 31-19 on the season and 18-8 in conference play. Binghamton fell to 25-21 overall, 14-12 in America East play.

In the first game, Binghamton took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. John Howell walked and Nick Pancerella singled to left field. Howell scored when Bill Bereszniewic singled to left field. Pancerella when Zach Bladen singled to center field.

Maine got on the board with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Michael Fransoso doubled and stole third base. He scored when Alex Calbick hit a sacrifice fly.

Binghamton got the run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Howell doubled down the left field line and scored when Bereszniewic singled up the middle.

Maine tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Mike Connolly and Troy Black had back-to-back singles. Connolly scored when Sam Balzano singled. Black tied the game when Colin Gay grounded out.

Brian Doran belted his first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Maine a 4-3 lead.

A.J. Bazdanes went 3 1/3 innings for the Black Bears and allowed three runs on seven hits. Jake Marks went 1 2/3 innings in relief. He surrendered just two hits and picks up the victory. Marks improvesdto 3-0 on the season. Burk FitzPatrick  pitched the final two innings to earn his first save.

Jack Rogalla went all seven innings for Binghamton. He allowed four runs on nine hits and falls to 4-4 on the season.

In the second game, Maine scored a pair of runs in the top of the second inning after back-to-back home runs by Calbick and Eric White. It was the second home run of the season for Calbick and the team-leading fifth for White.

Maine added two more runs in the top of the third inning. Black walked and stole second base. He scored when Fransoso singled. Fransoso scored the second run of the game when White singled through the right side.

Maine added a run in the eighth inning. Connolly doubled and scored when Balzano singled to right field.

Binghamton got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Schanz singled to left field. Jake Thomas followed with a single through the right side. Both runners scored when Daniel Nevares doubled to left center field.

Binghamton tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Pancerella was hit and Blanden walked. Mike Bunal, who pinch ran for Pancerella, scored when Schanz singled to left field. Blanden scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

Maine regained the lead in the top of the 10th inning with eight runs. Fran Whitten doubled and Scott Heath followed with a bunt single. Connolly then doubled to center field, sending Whitten home from third base. Heath scored when Balzano singled. Connolly scored the third run of the inning when Black singled to center field. Fransoso then walked to load the bases. Calbick drew a bases loaded walk, forcing home Balzano from third base. White followed with a double to center field, driving home both Black and Fransoso. Whitten then singled to center field, scoring Calbick and White.

Scott Musin had a two-run double in the bottom of the 10th to make it a 13-7 final.

Maine’s Shaun Coughlin got the start and went seven innings, allowing one run on four hits. Logan Fullmer went one inning and allowed a pair of runs on three hits. Whitten went one inning and allowed two runs on one hit. He picks up the win and improves to 1-1. Luke Morrill pitched the 10th inning for the Black Bears.

Jay Lynch got the start for Binghamton. He allowed four runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. Jake Cryrts replaced Lynch. He allowed one run on a pair of hits over 3 2/3 innings. Mike Kaufman allowed three runs on three hits for Binghamton. Mike Urbanski allowed five runs in a third of an inning. Jed Leman pitched the final two thirds of an inning.

Maine returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Boston College for a game against the Eagles.

Women’s lacrosse

Bowdoin bows out

CORTLAND, N.Y. —   The Cortland State women’s lacrosse team used an 11-0 run to defeat Bowdoin, 14-4, in a NCAA quarterfinal game on Sunday afternoon.

The fourth-ranked Red Dragons advance to the NCAA semifinals with a 21-1 record, while the eighth-ranked Polar Bears end their season at 15-4. Bowdoin, in its fifth NCAA appearance, collected a pair of wins to improve to 8-5 all-time in tournament play.

Bowdoin and Cortland traded goals in the opening twenty minutes of play with the Red Dragons striking first at 27:19.

Jordan Smith capitalized on a quick pass from Carolyn Gorajek five minutes later to even the score at 1-1.

Bowdoin took its only lead of the game at 17:33 as Betsy Sachs buried a free position shot, taking the 2-1 advantage, after her first free position conversation was negated by a shooting space infraction.

Cortland evened the game with her own free position goal less than two minutes later and recaptured the lead with a goal by Gina Campese.

Bowdoin continued to apply offensive pressure and knotted the score at 12:12.

Smith scored her second goal of the game coming off an assist from Molly Popolizio.

Cortland closed out the final ten minutes of the first half by stringing together four consecutive goals. The Red Dragons carried momentum into the second half and added seven more goals before Bowdoin netted the final goal of the game at 10:06. Breaking free of her defender, Gorajek found open space in front of the net and controlled a pass from Mackenzie Schleicher to score Bowdoin’s fourth of the game.

Maria Di Fato netted a game high four goals for Cortland, while Taylor Robinson and Campese each tallied two. Lindsay Picard and Betsy Sachs both accounted for a game high three caused turnovers. Sachs also led the Polar Bears with three draw controls.

Julie Bernatzky stopped 12 shots in net for Cortland as Tara Connolly stopped 11 on the opposite end.

Tennis

Middlebury topples Bowdoin in regional final

BRUNSWICK — The Middlebury College women’s tennis team took a 4-1 lead and held off a late Bowdoin rally in an eventual 5-3 win in the Regional Finals of the NCAA Division III Tournament Sunday afternoon at Maine Pines Tennis Club.

The Panthers (13-6) advance to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals to be held May 20 in Kalamazoo, Mich., against the winner of Sewanee and Emory. The Polar Bears finished an exceptional year with a record of 15-5.

Sunday’s victory gained a measure of revenge for the Panthers, who had lost the regular season meetings between the squads, 5-4 on April 13, and fell to Bowdoin in the same round of the Division III Championship last spring.

Middlebury gained an early advantage thanks to a convincing 8-2 win by No. 2 doubles team Lok-Sze Leung/Ria Gerger. Bowdoin tied the contest moments later with a 8-5 win from No. 3 duo Emma Lewis/Kate Winingham, but the Panthers earned an important victory at No. 1 doubles, 8-6 from Leah Kepping/Brittany Faber, to take a 2-1 advantage heading into singles play.

Middlebury’s top two singles players cruised to straight-set wins to quickly push the margin to 4-1. Gerger took a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lewiston’s Chantalle Lavertu at No. 2 before Leung earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 1 for the Panthers.

Needing to win all the remaining singles matches, Bowdoin began to close the gap as Lewis took a straight-set 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles for the Polar Bears. Winingham rallied from a second-set deficit to net a 6-3, 7-6 win at No. 4 to trim the lead to 4-3 with two matches remaining.

Bowdoin had claimed the first sets in both matches —  at No. 3 between Tiffany Cheng and Kepping, and at No. 6 between Emma Chow and Faber —  only to see their Panther opponents rally to take second sets and knot the match. In a back-and-forth affair at No. 6, it was Faber who rallied from a 5-4 hole to clinch it with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win and send Middlebury to the next round.