GORHAM — Matt Bender hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning and Kip Richard had his first career home run as Southern Maine stayed alive in the Little East baseball tournament Thursday with an 8-4 victory against Rhode Island College.

USM will play another elimination game Friday against Eastern Connecticut. The exact time is not known because a game from Thursday that was suspended with a tie score in the eighth inning must be completed, then another full game will be played before USM plays.

USM must win one game Friday, then two Saturday to capture the tournament.

The top-seeded Huskies (29-10) trailed 2-0 after four innings but tied it in the fifth. Bender led off with a double and scored on consecutive groundouts, and Richard homered to make it 2-2.

After taking the lead in the sixth, USM added two runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Andrew Olszak and a sacrifice fly by Zach Quintal.

Olszak finished 4 for 5 and Richard had three hits.

BATES, SUFFOLK SPLIT: Kyle Carter raced home on Dan Trulli’s fly to center, scoring the winning run as the Bobcats (16-16) ended their regular season with a 12-inning victory over Suffolk (26-14) in Lewiston in the second game of a doubleheader.

Carter was running for Brendon Canavan, who had singled. Carter went to second on a hit batter and to third on a wild pitch before ending it.

In the opener, Matt Brenner singled home two runs in a three-run first inning and singled home another run in a four-run fourth as Suffolk took a 7-0 lead en route to a 10-1 triumph.

SOFTBALL

MAINE 9, HARTFORD 1: Meghan Royle drove in five runs, capped by a game-ending, bases-loaded triple in the fifth, and the second-seeded Black Bears (17-23) won their winners’ bracket game in the America East tournament in Vestal, New York

Royle doubled home two runs in the fourth to give Maine a 4-1 lead, then scored on a single by Alyssa Derrick. Erica Leonard followed with an RBI single.

Leadoff hitter Rachel Carson went 2 for 2 with two walks and scored three runs. Felicia Lennon and Sarah Coyne each scored twice.

Erin Bogdanovich (6-10) allowed only one hit in 32/3 innings, though she issued four walks.

Sixth-seeded Hartford (4-44) scored in the fourth without a hit.

Maine will face fourth-seeded Albany at 11 a.m. Friday. The winner advances to Saturday’s final round; the loser plays an elimination game Friday afternoon.

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