ALBANY, N.Y. – Maine used a four-run first inning to pull away from Albany in a 7-3 America East baseball win on Sunday.

Sam Balzano led off the game for the Black Bears (29-18, 16-7) with a single, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a Michael Fransoso single. Scott Heath added an RBI in the inning and doubled and scored in the third.

Fransoso finished with three hits and Fran Whitten hit his third homer of the week.

Albany fell to 21-19-1, 14-10.

USM 17, SUFFOLK 2: Tucker White went 4 for 5, including a double and a home run, with six RBI as the Huskies (33-7) rolled past the Rams (29-12) at Gorham.

Forrest Chadwick added three hits with two RBI for USM, which will be the top seed and host for the Little East Conference tournament. It begins Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

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BATES SWEEPS WILLIAMS: Sam Berry collected seven hits with nine RBI on the day and Kevin Davis smacked three doubles in a 12-4 first-game win, then added two more doubles in a 11-7 second-game win, as the Bobcats (18-16) swept the Ephs (15-23) at Williamstown, Mass.

In the opener, Bobcats starter Brad Reynolds surrendered two hits in five innings while striking out five.

SOFTBALL

HARTFORD 4, MAINE 3: The Hawks (21-32, 10-8) came back to win in the 11th inning at Orono. Maine (8-39, 4-14) had built an early 3-1 lead on RBI by Jenny MacDowell and Nikki Byron, but couldn’t hold it.

Seniors Hillary Kane, Beth Spoehr, and MacDowell were honored prior to the final game of the season.

TUFTS 8, BOWDOIN 0: Hannah Wurgraft’s lead-off single in the first inning was the only hit of the game for the second-seeded Polar Bears (30-14), as they fell to the top-seeded Jumbos (38-3) in the NESCAC championship at Medford, Mass.

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Rebecca DiBiase retired the next 18 batters to give Tufts the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Bowdoin will find out today of it gets a bid.

HUSSON SWEEPS SAINT JOSEPH’S: The Eagles (31-10-1) rode the arm of Amanda Ryan for a 3-0 first-game win and got strong pitching from Becca McCarty and Kayla Merrill for a 3-1 nightcap win over the Monks (33-11) at Standish.

In the opener, Ryan threw 52 strikes on 69 pitches and finished with six strikeouts for the shutout. Deb Colpitts, Lona Sargent and Aimee Mortensen picked up an RBI apiece for the Eagles.

In the second game, McCarty allowed two hits and struck out four in the first three innings.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

EASTERN CONNECTICUT 10, USM 7: The fifth seeded Warriors (7-11) beat the second-seeded Huskies (12-7) in the the Little East Conference championship game at Gorham.

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Eastern Connecticut receives an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament after becoming just the second fifth seed to win the LEC Tournament.

Rookie Sarah Pelligrinelli had a pair of goals for USM, which awaits a possible ECAC postseason tournament berth.

COLBY: The lacrosse team is in the NCAA Division III tournament for the sixth year after earning a bid Sunday night.

BOWDOIN: The lacrosse team, with a 13-3 record, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.


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