LOWELL, Mass. - Fifth-seeded Maine (24-28) took advantage of a shaky first inning and ended Binghamton's hopes for a second straight conference title with an 8-3 win over the Bearcats (30-13) Saturday afternoon at LeLacheur Park. 

Regular-season champion and top-seeded BU committed two errors in the first inning (three in game) and the Black Bears also took advantage of a walk and hit batter to jump ahead 3-0. The Bearcats limited Maine to just one run over the next seven innings but BU's injury-depleted offense couldn't get going.  

Binghamton seemed poised to answer early but left two runners on base in each of the first three innings. 

The Bearcats got one run back in the bottom of the third when senior first baseman Eddie Posavec led off with a single and junior catcher Jason Agresti drew a one-out walk. After a fly ball, junior DH Pat Britt roped the first pitch he saw into right center for an RBI single, making it 3-1.

But Maine answered in the top of the fourth with a two-out RBI double, restoring the team's three-run lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth, BU drew back-to-back walks to start the inning and both runners came in to score on sacrifice flies. Posavec and sophomore third baseman walked and moved along after a wild pitch. Agresti then scored Posavec with a fly to deep center and freshman second baseman Justin Drpich followed with another run-scoring fly to center, bringing BU to within one, 4-3. 

Binghamton had a golden chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when sophomore right fielder Anthony Meduri hit a soft liner to center and turned it into a hustle double. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, however, Meduri was left stranded after a strikeout and fly ball. 

Still trailing 4-3, BU went down in order in the seventh and eighth innings and Maine tacked on four runs in the ninth for the final margin. A two-out, two-strike bases-clearing double did the final damage. The Bearcats put two runners on in the bottom of the ninth before a fly ball ended the game.

Junior starter Jacob Wloczewski (L, 4-2) limited Maine to four hits and two earned runs before he was struck in the lower leg with a comeback liner in the sixth and had to leave the game. Junior Nick Wegmann came in and pitched 2.2 innings and closer Dylan Stock got the final two outs. 

Britt and Meduri each went 2-for-4.  

Agresti and Wolczewski were selected to the all-championship team.

After going 15-4 against conference foes during the regular season, BU went 0-2 in the tournament for the first time since 2011. In the process, the team lost two games in a row for just the second time since mid-February.  

NOTES
Binghamton fell one win short of tying the school record for wins in a season but has set a record for best win percentage (.698) ... the team will also record its highest RPI (currently at No. 49 of 295) in school history. The previous high RPI was No. 107 at the end of last season  ... the Bearcats also won their sixth America East regular season title in the last 11 years.