ORONO – It was a tense few days for the University of Maine baseball team preparing for Friday’s crucial America East doubleheader against league-leading Binghamton.

The Black Bears, needing one win to clinch a playoff spot, made sure they’d be breathing a little easier this weekend.

Steve Richard pitched eight strong innings in Friday’s opener and the Bears rewarded him with three runs in the eighth inning as UMaine earned a spot in the America East tournament with a 5-2 victory over Binghamton at Mahaney Diamond.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Bears (30-16, 13-7 AE), who won the second game 8-2, reached postseason for the fifth straight season.

“We knew we had to win one to get into the playoffs and we just wanted to get it out of the way early,” said junior Ryan Quintal. “We just left it all out on the field, got clutch hits and got it done.”

Binghamton, which had already earned a tourney spot, slipped to 23-23-1, 12-7 AE.

UMaine enters today’s noon game in second place, but could finish as high as first or as low as fourth. Northeastern (13-5), Binghamton and Vermont (13-7) make up the rest of the field for the double-elimination tourney, which begins Thursday, May 26, in Burlington, Vt.

“We went after it a little Tuesday as far as some conditioning and some high emotions,” Kostacopoulos said. “We really had our back up against the wall and the guys really responded.”

In the opener, Curt Smith, Matt McGraw and Mike Ferriggi stroked consecutive RBI singles in the eighth inning as the Bears broke a 2-2 deadlock.

Richard (7-1) scattered six singles and escaped two jams with minimal damage in another gritty performance. The sophomore righthander struck out seven and walked two, retiring nine of the last 10 batters he faced.

“It was a huge, huge game,” Richard said. “We knew we had to win the first game and that would set the tone for the rest of the series.”

Scott Robinson earned his ninth save of the season by working a scoreless ninth.

UMaine broke it open in the eighth against reliever Adam Shatkun (3-4). Quintal led with a single up the middle and Aaron Izaryk worked a walk. Smith snapped an 0-for-12 slump with an RBI single to left. He finished the day with three hits and five clutch RBIs.

“The games before, I was too aggressive, I was swinging at everything, and today I saw a lot of pitches and swung at the right pitch,” Smith said.

Izaryk took third on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Pat Haughie, setting the stage for Matt McGraw’s line-drive RBI single to left. Ferriggi then ended an 0-for-9 drought by pulling a run-scoring single inside the third-base bag.

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first against starter Jarrod Rampey on Izaryk’s two-out single, but Binghamton tied it in the fourth on a Matt Simek sacrifice fly.

The Bearcats made it 2-1 in the fifth on singles by Jeff Monaco and Aaron Davis and a run-producing grounder by Jamie Boyer. Again, Richard minimized the damage.

“Steve Richard pitched so well,” Kostacopoulos said. “Every time he leaves the game, we’re either tied or ahead. That’s what a good pitcher does and he does it all the time for us.”

The Bears tied it in the sixth as Quintal singled, Izaryk shot a hit-and-run single to left and Smith grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Ray Vallee doubled and singled, while McGraw, Izaryk and Joel Barrett added two hits apiece for the Bears.

In the nightcap, the Bears scored five times in the first inning en route to the win.

UMaine got to starter Scott Diamond, who walked the first two men he faced. After both advanced on a flyout, Quintal ended Diamond’s string of consecutive scoreless innings at 15 2/3 when he ripped an RBI single to right field. The runners moved up on a groundout, then rode home when Smith stroked a single to center.

“Offensively, he [Smith] really did the job today in both games with hits in those clutch situations,” Kostacopoulos said.

McGraw plated the speedy Smith all the way from first with a double down the left-field line and scored on a throwing error, making it 5-0.

Starter Troy Martin, still being used sparingly because of a nagging injury to the middle finger on his pitching hand, allowed four hits and one run in three innings.

Binghamton scored runs in the second and fifth, but were unable to put any hits together against lefty Jason Weymouth. The crafty freshman (3-2) pitched four innings of one-hit relief, giving up an unearned run while fanning two and walking two.

Leading 5-2, the Bears stretched the lead.

In the fifth, Barrett spanked a single through the middle, Quintal laid down a pretty bunt single and Izaryk bunted them over. Smith plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

UMaine made it 8-2 in the sixth when Vallee singled and trotted home on Joe Hough’s line-drive home run off the scoreboard in left-center.

BLACK BEARS 5, BEARCATS 2

(First Game)

Binghamton Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ford, lf 4 0 0 0 Hough, cf 3 0 0

Smucker, ss 3 1 1 0 Creek, dh 4 1 0

Hitchcock, 1b 4 0 2 0 Barrett, 1b 4 0

Bergeron, 3b 4 0 0 0 Quintal, lf 4 2 0

Simek, 2b 3 0 1 1 Izaryk, c 3 1 1

Monaco, rf 4 1 1 0 Smith, 3b 3 1 2

Davis, cf 3 0 1 0 McGraw, rf 4 0 1

Boyer, dh 2 0 0 1 Ostrander, rf 0 0 0

Haughie, c 3 0 0 0 Ferriggi, 2b 4 0 1

Vallee, ss 3 0 2 0

Totals 30 2 6 2 Totals 32 5 13 5

Binghamton 000 110 000 – 2

Maine 100 001 03x – 5

E-Haughie (3); LOB-BU 4; Maine 9; 2B-Vallee; DP-Simek-Smucker-Hitchcock; S-Hough, Vallee; SF-Simek; SB-Simek (11)

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Rampey 7 9 2 2 2 7

Shatkun (L, 3-4) 1 4 3 3 2 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Richard (W, 7-1) 8 6 2 2 2 7

Robinson (S, 9) 1 0 0 0 0 0

T-2:35

BLACK BEARS 8, BEARCATS 2

(Second Game)

Binghamton (23-23-1) Maine (30-16)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ford, lf 1 0 0 0 Hough, cf 3 2 2

Powell, lf 3 0 0 0 Creek, dh 3 1 0

Smucker, ss 1 0 0 0 Barrett, 1b 4 1 0

Lindsay, ss 2 1 0 0 Quintal, lf 3 1 1

Hitchcock, 1b 3 0 1 0 Pesanello, ph 1 0

Bergeron, 3b 0 0 0 0 Cantara, lf 0 0 0

James, 3b 2 0 0 1 Izaryk, c 2 0 0

Simek, 2b 1 0 0 0 Smith, 3b 2 1 3

Fernandez, 2b 2 0 0 0 McGraw, rf 3 1

Monaco, rf 3 1 1 0 Ostrander, rf 0 0 0

Davis, cf 1 0 0 0 Ferriggi, 2b 3 0 0

Boyer, dh 3 0 1 1 Vallee, ss 3 1 0

Darling, c 3 0 2 0

Totals 25 2 5 2 Totals 27 8 10 7

Binghamton 010 010 0 – 2

Maine 500 012 x – 8

E-Smucker (17); Quintal (4), Smith (5); LOB-BU 8; Maine 5; 2B-Creek, McGraw; HR-Hough (5); S-Davis; Izaryk; SF-James; Smith

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Diamond (L, 4-5) 5 7 6 5 2 2

Bogdanoff 1 3 2 2 0 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Martin 3 4 1 1 2 4

Weymouth (W, 3-2) 4 1 1 0 2 2

WP-Diamond; Martin; BK-Bogdanoff; T-2:05; ATT-311