VESTAL, N.Y. — Meghan Royle hit a tiebreaking home run in the third inning and second-seeded Maine held on for a 2-1 win over top-seeded Binghamton in an elimination game Friday at the America East softball tournament.

Royle also scored Maine’s first run on a first-inning double by Alyssa Derrick. Binghamton (22-25) tied it with a run in the bottom of the first.

The Black Bears (18-24) fell into the losers’ bracket when they lost 8-2 to fourth-seeded Albany earlier in the day, despite a two-run homer by Derrick.

Maine must beat Albany twice Saturday to win its second straight championship and earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.

BASEBALL

MAINE SWEEPS UMASS- LOWELL: Jeremy Pena homered on the first pitch in both games, then singled home the tying run and scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning of Game 2 as the Black Bears (19-24, 6-10 America East) completed a sweep against the River Hawks (22-25, 10-12) in Orono, 7-5 and 5-4.

In Game 1, Brandon Vincens hit a two-run single in the seventh as Maine erased a 5-4 deficit. Caleb Kerbs and Cody Pasic also drove in two runs apiece, and Connor Johnson earn the win with three perfect innings in relief. Jeff Gelinas pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

Pena got three of Maine’s six hits in Game 2 and scored three runs.

MIDDLEBURY 3, BATES 2: Sam Graf drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth as the Panthers (21-14) edged the Bobcats (16-17) in the opening round of the NESCAC tournament in Waterville.

Bates got a two-run single from Brendon Caravan in the first inning. The Bobcats will face Amherst in an elimination game at 10 a.m. Saturday.

TRACK AND FIELD

SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS: Georgia’s Kate Hall, of Casco, finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of 21-103/4 and qualified for Saturday’s 100-meter final with a time of 11.30, at Columbia, South Carolina.

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