BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (Interstat) — The America East Baseball Championship opens Thursday with a double-elimination matchup between seed Maine (21-30) and seed Maryland-Baltimore County (26-22) at Binghamton.

Maine enters on a five-game winning streak, capping the regular season with a four-game sweep of Albany. The Black Bears outscored the Great Danes 36-16 in that series, including an 11-5 win Wednesday. Designated hitter Nic Pepe fueled the offense, going 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs. In his last six games against Albany, Pepe is 8 for 17 with two homers and nine RBIs.

The Black Bears also took three of four from Massachusetts-Lowell earlier this month, though they dropped the final three games of that set. Maine’s pitching staff has been inconsistent, but the offense has averaged 8.7 runs during the win streak.

UMBC claimed its final regular-season series by sweeping NJIT last weekend, winning 7-4, 17-6 and 12-4. The Retrievers have won four of their last six. In the 7-4 win Saturday, reliever Kailen Hackmann threw four innings of two-hit ball, allowing one earned run and striking out five. Hackmann has a 2.11 ERA over his last four appearances (14 1/3 innings), with 14 strikeouts and one walk. He also threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings against Maine on April 24, earning a win in a 3-2 victory.

UMBC split its season series with Maine, winning two of three in Baltimore in March and losing two of three in Orono in April. The home team held serve each time, with Maine taking the last two games by scores of 8-5 and 11-1. The Retrievers’ pitching staff held Maine to two runs in the series opener but gave up 19 over the next two.

The championship game is set for the afternoon session. The winner advances to face the winner of the seed vs. seed game on Friday, while the loser moves to the elimination bracket.

Other Maine players to watch include outfielder Juju Stevens, who went 3 for 5 with two RBIs on Wednesday, and second baseman Albert De La Rosa, who homered and drove in a run in that game.

For UMBC, designated hitter Danny Wyatt is on a hot streak, going 2 for 4 with three RBIs in the NJIT series finale. The Retrievers’ bullpen, led by Hackmann and Brady Fox (four strikeouts in two scoreless innings Saturday), has been a strength.

First pitch is Thursday with no announced time.