ORONO, Maine -- After dropping game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 4-1, to Binghamton, the Black Bears rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn a walk-off, 9-8 victory in game two.

Alyssa Derrick finished the day with two hits and three RBI while Laurine German drove in two and scored a pair of runs to help lead the offense.

After Annie Kennedy retired the first three batters on three ground ball outs, the Black Bears (19-20, 8-4) capitalized on two Binghamton (12-22, 5-8) errors to take a 1-0 lead after the first full inning. Rachel Carlson hit the ball to the pitcher and then advanced to second on a throwing error. Two batters later, Derrick drove a ball up the middle that allowed Carlson to come around.
 
The top of the third marked the Bearcats' turn to take advantage of an error.
 
Lauren Martinez led off the inning with a single through the left side and then a misplayed bunt moved her to third and Carrie Maniccia to second. Kennedy – who had struck out all three batters in the second inning – seemed poised to get out of the inning with two quick pop outs but a single to right field brought both Martinez and Maniccia around to score for a 2-1 edge.
 
The Bearcats stretched the lead in the top of the fifth, again taking advantage of an error in the field. Maniccia again reached on a miscue and then scored on a double by Jessica Rutherford into the right field gap.  Rutherford herself scored on a wild pitch later in the inning for the 4-1 lead.
 
Maine put a runner on base in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings on an error and two walks but the offense could not connect with the ball and Derrick's single in the first remained Maine's lone hit on the day heading into the final frame.
 
Back-to-back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Maine with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but Chelsea Howard used back-to-back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam and get Binghamton the 4-1 win.
 
Kennedy went the distance in the defeat, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing no earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. In the nightcap, the Black Bears entered the top of the seventh with a 4-2 lead but found themselves trailing, 8-4, heading into the bottom of the frame.
 
The Bearcats were able to load the bases in the top of the seventh with zero outs. A sacrifice fly from Maniccia got the rally started. Binghamton manufactured runs on a wild pitch, single up the middle, a sacrifice fly and a single to right center for an 8-4 edge.
 
Down but not out, the Black Bears mounted a comeback. Shanna Scribner walked to start and then Erika Leonard bunted for a base hit. German's standup double to deep center drove in both before Derrick drove in German with a groundball to shortstop.
 
Down by one run, Decker doubled and Maine was able to load the bases for Nee. Nee battled back to earn a full count and then drove the ball to the right side. The second baseman fielded it cleanly but the first baseman was unable to control the throw. Two runs scored on the mishap, completing the comeback, 9-8.
 
Maine registered three hits in the five run seventh inning.
 
To start the game – and for the second time on the day – Derrick registered an RBI in the bottom of the first inning, This time, driving a ball through the left side to bring German around from second for a 1-0 lead.
 
Maine went on to load the bases in the inning, with Carlson scoring on a fielder's choice ball hit by Kristin Niland.
 
In the second inning, the Black Bears responded to a Binghamton home run with two of their own. Carlson's ball to third forced a throwing error and both Emily Gilmore and Leonard scored on the play.
 
Binghamton got on the board again in the top of the fifth – using three singles in a row to push a run across and make it a two-run game – and then exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh.

A five-run bottom of the fifth by the Black Bears, capped by a walk-off when Nee reached on an error, lifted Maine to the 9-8 victory in game two.

The two teams will close out the weekend series with Sunday's 11 a.m. Senior Day game at Kessock Field.

-UMaine-