Shane Andrus went 4 for 5 with four RBI, and the University of Maine advanced to the championship round of the America East baseball tournament by posting an 11-6 win over UMBC in an elimination game Friday in Vestal, New York.

The third-seeded Black Bears (24-31) were knocked into the losers’ bracket when top-seeded Binghamton (30-20) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Maine 6-5 earlier Friday. The championship game is single-elimination, however, so Maine can capture the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by defeating Binghamton on Saturday.

After its disheartening loss against Binghamton, Maine regrouped quickly and scored seven runs in the top of the first inning against UMBC (29-24). Andrus had a two-run single, and Albert De La Rosa drove in two runs with a double.

Andrus added a two-run double in the fourth to make it 10-5. Troy Carpenter belted his 16th home run of the season in the eighth and finished 3 for 5 with two RBI.

Pierce Friedman was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing just one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings — his longest outing of the season.

In Maine’s first game of the day, Binghamton scored the tying run on a hit batsman and the winning run on a walk after Black Bears freshman Hunter St. Denis broke a 4-4 tie with a home run in the top of the ninth.

Maine erased a 2-1 deficit in the seventh inning when five straight singles produced three runs. Carpenter, Andrus and Quinn Murphy each drove in a run.

Maine’s other run was a home run by De La Rosa in the fourth inning. 

SOFTBALL

ROWAN 3, COLBY 0: The Mules were shut out for the second straight day and were eliminated from their best-of-three NCAA Division super regional in Glassboro, New Jersey

Rowan (42-9) took the lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by Ava Fisher. Kate Evick singled home Zoey Rogers to make it 3-0 in the third inning.

The Mules (30-14) outhit Rowan 7-6. Carissa Cassidy led Colby with two hits.

Colby was in a must-win situation after losing 1-0 on Thursday, giving up an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh. The Mules were held to three hits.