ORONO – Getting to the America East championship tournament was a season-long goal for the University of Maine softball team. The idea of playing in the postseason double-elimination tourney, to be hosted by Maine for the first time, pushed the Black Bears through some rough spots this spring.

In the past two days that goal has seemed a bit short-sighted. On Friday, one day after knocking off the No. 1 seed, the No. 4 Black Bears pounded out 13 hits, including a clutch two-run Lauren Dulkis triple, as Maine gained a berth in the conference championship with a 7-4 victory over No. 2 Stony Brook at Kessock Field.

The 27-20 Black Bears, who advanced to Saturday’s noon final for the first time since Maine coach Deb Smith was a Black Bear pitcher in 1994, will face rival Boston University, which beat Albany 3-2 in nine innings to move on from the losers bracket. The Terriers topped Stony Brook 5-2 for their spot in the final.

“This is awesome, especially the first time we’re hosting,” said sophomore Sarah Bennis, who earned the win in relief. “It’s so big for us.”

If the Bears lose, the teams will play a second game for the championship.

Maine, which managed just five hits Thursday against Albany, turned things around Friday. But first the Bears would need Bennis.

The Seawolves (30-32) scored two runs off Maine starter Jenna Merchant in the second inning. Stony Brook started off the third with another run and loaded the bases with no outs when Merchant walked two batters and hit another.

Merchant, who pitched a seven-inning shutout Thursday, was pulled for Bennis. The sophomore from Pownal gave up an RBI single to Margaret Blair, but then struck out two and got a flyout to end the threat.

“The mindset with the bases loaded was just to throw strikes, and a 2-2 pitch, I left a dropball hanging,” said Bennis, who was warming up from the start of the game. “The next two batters, you just have to throw it hard and hope they miss and pop up.”

Bennis (9-9) gave up three more hits the rest of the way.

Her effort in the third seemed to spark the Bears in the bottom of the inning. Dulkis singled with two outs, Brittany Cheney doubled and Molly McKinney drove them both home with a double. An Amy Kuhl single plated McKinney to make it 4-3.

Dulkis delivered the big hit in the fourth, a triple to right-center that drove in Lindsey Tibbetts and Jess Brady for a 5-4 Maine lead.

“It was outside, that’s all I know,” said Dulkis, who batted seventh Thursday but was moved to second Friday. “I wasn’t really thinking much when I was up there. If I do that’s when I start to buckle under the pressure.”

Dulkis scored later on a passed ball. Brady added another run in the sixth when she doubled, stole third, and came home when Stony Brook catcher Blair overthrew third base in an attempt to catch Brady stealing.

“We started off a little slow, but once we got going it was like we were on fire,” Dulkis said of the offensive effort.

After the game Merchant, the America East Pitcher of the Year, said she wasn’t sure what went wrong. Smith went out to speak to her twice in the third inning.

“The nice situation is we have a 1-2 punch with Jenna and Sarah Bennis,” Smith said. “We needed to get out of that inning and Sarah did a nice job.”

In Friday’s second game, the Terriers knocked out No. 1 Albany when Christy King drove in pinch-runner Erika Myrill for the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Myrill ran for Erin McDonald, who led off the inning with a single.

In Friday’s third game, DeKenya Williams hit a two-run homer while Jamie Haas and Liz Alley each had RBI singles as BU rallied with a four-run fifth inning. Ashlee Freeman picked up her second win of the day.

(Friday’s Second Game)

Albany (34-18) 000 010 100 – 2 6 1

BU (24-31) 000 020 001 – 3 7 2

Lindgren and Mendez; Freeman and Meacham

(Friday’s Third Game)

Stony Brook (30-33) 000 200 0 – 2 7 1

BU (25-31) 100 040 x – 5 6 0

Andrews and Vogl; Freeman and Mendez

BLACK BEARS 7, SEAWOLVES 4

Stony Brook (30-32) Maine (27-20)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Bradford, ss 4 0 1 0 Brady, cf 4 2 0

Servello, 2b 3 0 2 2 Dulkis, 3b 4 2 2

Stein, cf 3 0 0 0 Cheney, ss 4 1 0

Brust, 1b 4 1 4 0 McKinney, dh-rf 4 1 2

Durham, 3b 3 1 0 0 Grimm, rf 0 0 0

McCarthy, dh 3 0 1 0 Kuhl, 1b 2 0 1

Vogl, lf 3 0 1 1 Belmonte, pr 0 0 0

Blair, c 3 1 1 1 Merchant, p-dh 3 0 0

Neuner, rf 3 1 1 0 Joseph, pr 0 0 0

Provost, lf 3 0 0 0

Taylor, ph 1 0 1 0

Tibbetts, c 3 0 1 0

Vilardo, pr 0 1 0 0

Asadoorian, 2b 3 0 0 0

Totals 29 4 11 4 Totals 31 7 13 5

Stony Brook 022 000 0 ? 4

Maine 003 301 x ? 7

E?Blair; LOB?Stony Brook 9, Maine 9; 2B?Brady, Cheney, McKinney; 3B?Dulkis; DP?Maine; SB?Brady

Stony Brook IP H R ER BB SO

Hoffman (W,10-13) 3 1/3 8 6 5 2 2

Andrews 2 2/3 5 1 0 1 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Merchant 2* 7 4 4 3 1

Bennis (W,9-9) 5 4 0 0 1 3

HBP?McCarthy by Merchant; PB?Blair; T?2:00; ATT?125 (est.)

*-faced four batters in the third