ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine softball team carried a 1-0 lead over Binghamton into the sixth inning during Sunday's Senior Game at Kessock Field. However, the Bearcats would score once in the sixth and add two more in the eighth as the Black Bears dropped their regular season home finale, 3-1, in eight innings to visiting Binghamton.

For the Black Bears, it was their seventh extra inning contest of the year and their third in the last six contests. Maine is now 4-3 on the year in extra inning games.

Rachel Carlson tallied two hits to lead the offense while Erika Leonard went 1-for-2 while scoring Maine's lone run of the afternoon. Laurine German added a single to stretch her streak of reaching base safely to 12 consecutive games.

Annie Kennedy fell to 9-6 with the loss after going the distance while surrendering three runs, two earns, on eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

The Black Bears started the scoring in the bottom of the third. Leonard worked a one out walk before going first to third on German's sharp single to right. After a foul out, German attempted to steal second. The throw from the Binghamton catcher sailed into centerfield, allowing Leonard to trot in from third.

Kennedy and the defense kept Binghamton off the scoreboard until the Bearcats were able to tie the score in the sixth.

Carrie Maniccia was hit by a pitch to start the frame before Jessica Rutherford reached on a bunt single. Kennedy was able to get the next two outs after Maniccia tagged and advanced to third on a flyout to right. Makalya Alvarez's ground ball was mishandled at short, allowing Maniccia to come in with the game tying run.

The contest would move into the eighth where Binghamton would take its first lead of the day.

With two outs in the inning and a runner on first, Alvarez dropped a single into center. Richard, the runner at second, was lifted in favor of pinch runner Allison Pritchard. Rozlyn Price ripped a single down the left field line that would roll all the way to the fence, allowing both Pritchard and Alvarez to score, giving the Bearcats a 3-1 advantage.

The Black Bears would look to rally in the home half of the eighth as German was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Carlson would reach on a bunch single but German rounded second and was thrown out trying to advance to third on the play. Binghamton would eventually retire the side to take the three-game series finale, 3-1.

Maine closes the regular season at Stony Brook, beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. The two teams will wrap-up the series with a single game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 5.

-UMaine-