BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (Interstat) — Nic Pepe drove in four runs with a three-run homer and a single, leading the Maine Black Bears to an 11-5 victory over the Albany Great Danes on Wednesday at Mirabito Stadium in an America East matchup. Maine improved to 21-30 overall, while Albany fell to 15-32.

Pepe, the designated hitter, finished 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Albert De La Rosa added a solo homer and three hits for the Black Bears, and Juju Stevens and Quinn Murphy each collected two RBIs. For Albany, shortstop Cooper Loyal went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored, and left fielder Michael Maggio drove in three runs.

Albany struck first in the top of the second inning. John Vitucci walked, stole second and scored on a single by Luke Filippi. Cooper Loyal then singled, and after a strikeout, Maggio singled to center field to drive in two more runs, giving the Great Danes a 3-0 lead. Maine answered in the bottom of the frame. Quinn Murphy singled, Albert De La Rosa singled, and Brody Rasmussen’s sacrifice bunt plated Murphy. After Chris Bear was hit by a pitch, Pepe launched a three-run homer to left field, tying the game 3-3. The Black Bears took the lead in the third when De La Rosa homered to right field.

Albany tied the game again in the fourth. Filippi singled, Loyal doubled, and Maggio’s groundout scored Filippi. Patrick DeSarno then singled to drive in Loyal, making the score 5-5. The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Maine erupted for five runs. With one out, Brody Rasmussen singled, and after a fielder’s choice, Pepe singled to center to drive in Rasmussen. Pepe stole second, and Stevens followed with a two-run single. Hunter St. Denis singled, and after a walk, Quinn Murphy doubled down the right-field line to clear the bases with two more runs. The outburst put Maine ahead 11-5 and ended Albany’s comeback hopes.

Albany reliever Matthew Mariano pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, but the damage had already been done. Maine starter Jason Krieger worked 6.1 innings, surrendering 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out seven to earn the victory. Pierce Friedman and Sebastian Holt each threw scoreless relief, with Holt striking out one in the ninth. Albany managed 12 hits, with Loyal’s four leading the way, but stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings.

The most important stretch came in the bottom of the sixth, when Maine turned a 5-5 tie into an 11-5 lead with five runs on five hits. The rally began with back-to-back singles by De La Rosa and Rasmussen, followed by a fielder’s choice that set the stage for Pepe’s go-ahead single. Stevens and Murphy then delivered the decisive blows, putting the game out of reach.

Albany’s previous meeting with Maine had resulted in three consecutive losses, including 11-6, 7-5 and 12-1 scores over the prior week. The Black Bears continued their recent dominance in the series, having now won four straight.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Maine 5, Albany 3. The ELO system gave the Black Bears a 61 percent probability to win, but the actual outcome surpassed those expectations with a combined 16 runs.