Facing a 6-0 deficit, the Black Bears made it a new game in the bottom of the fourth inning and eventually came away with an 8-7 nine-inning walk-off win to take two-of-three America East Conference games on the home weekend at Kessock Field.

The Retrievers (22-21, 3-9 America East) looked like anything but a bottom of the conference foe. They took an early lead in all three games, and forced UMaine (20-22, 9-3 AE) to walk-off with both wins. A leadoff home run by UMaine senior second baseman and pitcher Alexis Souhlaris gave the Black Bears a 3-2 win in the weekend opener. UMBC won Saturday’s second game 4-1.

“It’s nice to go up and put a team away early, but you have to know how to come back in situations,” Souhlaris said. “We know we can hit, so we try to pretty stay pretty laid back, stay pretty calm, and take care of things at the plate when we’re up there and behind.”

UMaine entered the weekend tied on the top rung of the conference ladder with defending conference champions Boston University. The Black Bears will host the Terriers for three games next weekend.

“It was good competition for us, and it definitely set us in a good position for next weekend,” UMaine junior third baseman Terren Hall said.

Souhlaris set the table in the ninth inning Sunday with a leadoff walk, and crossed with the winning run from second on Hall’s line drive up the middle, after Whitney Spangler was hit by a pitch.

“I wasn’t looking to be the hero again or anything,” Souhlaris said. “I was thinking ‘Just get on base and you’ll score.’”

UMaine senior pitcher Cayleigh Montano (1-2) worked seven and one-third innings in relief of starter Ashley Kelley to pick up her first win of the season. Montano, who has been nursing an elbow injury, more than doubled her season strikeout total with 11 in the game.

“I felt great in the circle today,” Montano said. “Steph (George) called a great game behind the plate. She was putting them in positions where I could get that out pitch.”

Montano was charged with UMBC’s final three runs after Kelley let up four through an inning and two-thirds. Montano walked just one of the 31 batters she faced.

The Retrievers scored their last run in the fifth inning to go up 7-6 before the Black Bears strung together three base hits in the bottom of the seventh and pushed the tying run across on a Kali Burnham fielder’s choice.

Hall sparked the fourth inning rally with a three-run blast, her 10th home run of the season. She went 3-for-5 at the plate, with four runs batted in.

“It was a flat pitch, so to me it looked like a fastball that she missed or she was just trying to get me out,” Hall said. “It definitely set the momentum, and we just went from there.”

Burnham’s RBI-double continued the charge, bringing in Kristen Calvetti from first. Jordan McLain drove in two more with a hooking double down the left field line and Cassie Hodgson’s RBI-bloop single to right scored McLain with the tying run.

“After the fourth inning, there was no way we were losing that game,” Hall said.

UMBC No.2 hitter Amanda Fefel hit a wind-assisted two-run home run to left to start the game. Leadoff hitter Lauren Brummell drove in two with a line drive single past the reach of shortstop Calvetti in the second inning, and the Retrievers added two more in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI-double by Fefel and an RBI-single by Julia Culotta.

Fefel (4-4) took the loss in the pitcher’s circle, allowing two runs through four and two-thirds innings. UMBC starter Stephanie Weigman was lifted after UMaine’s six-run rally, but was effective early, striking out seven in a row after the first inning.

In Saturday’s first game, Souhlaris made her only hit of the game count. Souhlaris welcomed closer Weigman with her fifth home run of the season over the right-center field wall.

The Black Bears rallied from a 2-0 deficit with runs in the third and fifth innings. Calvetti drove in the Black Bears’ first two runs with a single and a double. She was the only Black Bear with a multi-hit game, of UMaine’s five total hits.

After UMBC built the early lead, scoring in the first and third innings, Kelley (10-3) bared down to earn the complete game win. Kelley yielded seven hits, struck out five and walked two.

In the first inning, UMBC left fielder Kaela Mason’s triple into the right field corner scored Fefel from first.

Brummel led off the third inning with a base hit and moved over to third on a ground out and single before scoring on Mason’s sharp grounder to shortstop.

UMaine designated player Brynne Davis notched the Black Bears’ first hit of the game in the bottom of the third inning and advanced into scoring position on an error before Calvetti brought her around with a line drive into center field.

The Black Bears tied it up in the fifth when Calvetti’s RBI-double pushed across Spangler.

Fefel was charged with one of UMaine’s first two runs in six innings of work.

In Saturday’s second game, the Black Bears could not recover after a three-run first-inning home run by Mason. Mason’s shot off Souhlaris was never in doubt as it sailed over the left field wall.

The 3-0 shutout held until the fifth inning, when UMaine got one back on an RBI-double by Hall, but the Retrievers tacked on one more in the seventh and the Black Bears could do no further damage in their final at bat.

Weigman (11-11) went the distance for the win. She allowed five hits and struck out seven, while walking three. Six of the strikeouts came in the first three innings.

Souhlaris (5-4) took the loss, despite a complete game effort. UMBC tallied 10 hits, with half coming in the first inning.

Fefel and Emily Thompson each went 3-for-4 at the plate and accounted for the three runs Mason did not score.

“It was my second Boston. Last year was a disaster,” was the most comprehensible combination of words I could form, and the quote Menendez used in her story.

In 2009, I made my Boston debut and learned to respect the historic route from Hopkinton to Boston. Overwhelmed by ambitious goals for my second marathon overall and the aura of the event, I got an extra-long look at the last eight miles to the finish line on Boylston Street, and shuffled across in 3:12 after a 1:26 opening half.

It ended so badly that when I told my parents I planned to run the Sugarloaf Marathon the following month to rebound mentally from the experience, I was informed indirectly that my dad would not attend because he couldn’t watch his son suffer like that again so immediately.

Before stopping to speak with Menendez on Monday, I waited for Crow Athletics teammate Gary Allen of Great Cranberry Island to finish about a minute behind me. I passed Gary shortly after making the final left turn off Hereford Street onto Boylston. Gary, 53, is one of a select few runners in the world to have run a sub-three-hour marathon in five consecutive decades. He helped me bounce back after the Boston nightmare last year to crack the three-hour barrier for the first of three times.

Each of the more than 25,000 registered runners who take on the Boston Marathon each year have a different motivation for doing it. Some run for charity, some in remembrance, some to triumph over the seemingly impossible challenge. And some for the fact that the race is not open to everyone, only to those who meet the strict qualifying standards.

I departed from the University of Maine on Saturday afternoon in a van with a group of five experienced marathoners from Nova Scotia. After doing most of my winter training in solitude, only I knew what type of shape I was in, but didn’t stress myself out with a specific time goal for my first marathon as a 23-year-old and 5th overall. I just wanted to cross the finish line with no regrets.

A long phone call from my best friend Sunday night helped calm the inevitable anxiety, and her words are something I credit to carrying me through the Newton hills leading up to mile 21, and giving me the inspiration to hang on and not let all that progress slip away.

Before the race, another Crow Athletics teammate, Amanda LaBelle of Rockland, was a familiar face to wait with in the second corral of 1,000 runners. Another 30 feet to our left, the elite field of runners walked by on their way to the head of the pack and gave high-fives as they passed. Top Americans Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi were greeted with “USA” chants. The clear, cool day with a calm wind helped Hall run the fastest Boston Marathon ever by an American and place fourth overall.

I ran entirely on feeling and instinct, and passed the halfway point in a nearly identical time as last year. Staying conservative is a necessary strategy in the early downhill miles through Hopkinton, Ashland and Natick. I bided my time instead of darting aimlessly around packs of runners. During the race, the memory of 2009 did not enter my mind until I started surging past faltering runners on “Heartbreak Hill,” the last of the Newton hills.

All 26.2 miles of the course were lined with spectators. Most of their cheers were aimed at the mass of runners rather than individuals, but each one was appreciated. One girl’s cheer of, “Good job No. 2275!” didn’t phase me until I lifted up my shirt to look at the number pinned to my singlet. Through the deafening Wellesley College “Scream Tunnel,” just before the halfway point of the race, runners forget their fatigue for a few moments.

A minor accomplishment in the early stages of the race was losing a Japanese man dressed as Minnie Mouse. Evidently the man appears as a different Disney character for each marathon he runs. The costume lost its amusing nature as my own exhaustion developed.

It would be unreasonable to expect an 18-minute improvement annually, but the Boston Marathon is only minutely about the time on the clock. For those who are able to experience it, Boston is an event that draws out every emotion. Complete strangers band together to endure the test of one of the most physically and mentally demanding courses in the world.

Based on my 2:57:10 seed time, I was not expected to finish among the first 2,000 runners on Monday. I placed 774th and improved my Boston qualifying time for 2011 in the process.

The challenging Boston course will not yield eye-popping times, so Hall’s only concern is with the position he will take off the final turn onto Boylston Street. Hall has yet to win one of the five Marathon Majors (Boston, New York City, London, Berlin, Chicago) in four tries. His highest placing in the series came in last year’s edition of Boston, where he took third.

“I definitely feel like I’ve learned a lot in marathoning,” Hall said an the interview, which accompanied an April 12 Marathon News Q-and-A. “I feel like it’s kind of, like, my time now to step up. I feel prepared to win a major marathon now.”

Hall has laid low since his final tune-up race for Boston in January — a 1:04:08 half marathon in Arizona — splitting time between his home in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and Boston, gaining familiarity with the puzzling route. Matured by the learning experiences of a 10th place finish in the 2008 Olympics and finishing one spot off the podium in the New York City Marathon last November, Hall is set to uncork the potential he gave glimpses of with a personal-best 2:06:17 run in London in 2008.

“You don’t always hit it how you want to hit it,” Hall said. “It’s easy to really get down on yourself, and really beat yourself up over it for a long time. I’m getting better now at not doing that as much.”

Hall crossed the Boston finish line nearly a minute back of winner Deriba Merga (Ethiopia) last year after towing the pack through the race’s early stages at world record pace. In the Marathon News interview, Hall didn’t declare the brash move a mistake, but rather said his knowledge of the course this year will allow him to expend his energy more efficiently. He likened his experience to a home course advantage.

For Hall to triumph in Boston, as well as snap the event’s hex on American males, it will have to be a team effort. Countryman Meb Keflezighi, 34, can be a friendly face in the lead pack of Africans and has the credentials to contend. Since 1983, Greg Meyer remains the latest American male win in Boston.

Hall rallied in November while having an admittedly sub-par day in New York City, as Keflezighi marched on to victory. If the two match their wits and have a little luck on their side on Monday, both are capable of placing in the top-five at Boston as well.

“Going into New York, my expectations were just too high,” Hall told Runner’s World. “It’s not that you shouldn’t expect great things to happen, but I think you just have to go into the race with kind of an open hand.”

The Kenyans will create an intimidating lead pack, but last year’s edition of the world’s oldest annual marathon showed their recent dominance is not impenetrable. Merga (Ethiopia) headlines perhaps the most talented Boston elite men’s field ever.

Hall’s personal-best time seeds him second in the field, behind 33-year-old Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco. Keflezighi’s 2:09:15 winning time in New York City was his best. Merga and Keflezighi are tied for second in the World Marathon Majors rankings, behind Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru. Hall is tied for 10th. Boston course record holder Robert Cheruiyot has withdrawn from the event due to injury.

Marathoners must suppress a debilitating race experience before they step back in the ring. Hall’s 3:32 negative split to win the 2007 Olympic Trials in hilly New York City showed what he can do when he’s really on, and his persistence in New York City is confirmation that Hall is ready to deliver some fireworks on Patriots’ Day.

“I think for me, the battle is just getting back to just making it about the love of running,” Hall said. “That’s what it’s got to always be about for me, because when it’s not about that, good things usually don’t happen.”

Note: Steven McCarthy will be running in his second Boston Marathon on Monday and his fifth marathon overall.

The Black Bears held on for a 3-2 win Sunday after a pair of 4-0 shutouts on Saturday. UMaine improved to 16-20 overall and 5-1 in America East Conference play. Binghamton fell to 15-11 (3-6 AE). UMaine will travel to the University at Albany next weekend for a three-game series.

Starting 5-1 in conference “really allows us to control our destiny all the way in,” UMaine coach Deb Smith said. “It certainly, I think, takes some of the pressure off these guys.”

The Black Bears bounced back after dropping nine of their first 10 games this spring and have won five straight.

“We are doing a much better job finishing teams,” Smith said.

Binghamton coach Michelle Burrell declined to comment on the series and did not allow her players to be interviewed.

UMaine senior pitcher and second baseman Alexis Souhlaris earned a win in the pitcher’s circle each day and broke 2009 graduate Ashley Waters’ career hits record on Saturday. Souhlaris notched five hits and scored four runs on the weekend. Scoring UMaine’s third run in Sunday’s game, Souhlaris also tied Waters and Sara Jewett (1997-2000) for the career runs mark.

“I had a great time today,” Souhlaris said after Saturday’s doubleheader. “It was good to play in front of my friends and my family and play at home. It was a good day all around.”

The Black Bears scored all three of their runs Sunday in the fifth inning, sparked by sophomore second baseman Brynne Davis’ two-run triple over the right fielder’s head. Davis also scored on the play after an errant relay throw to third by Binghamton second baseman Stephanie Valencia.

“It felt good,” said Davis, who returned from an ankle injury suffered in March. “I just wanted to drive the ball to the right side of the field, so that we could move the runner.”

“[Davis] has been a nice little secret weapon for us, kind of hidden down there at the bottom of the order,” Smith said.

Souhlaris followed Davis with a double and scored on a Whitney Spangler base hit.

“We changed our approach,” Davis said. “We were up in the box, looking for that first pitch strike that [Binghamton starting pitcher Kristen Emerling] was trying to get and laying off the outside corner.”

Emerling was charged with all three UMaine runs on seven hits, through five innings. She struck out four and walked one. Rhoda Marsteller pitched a scoreless sixth.

Binghamton’s bats came alive in the sixth inning, as they started with three consecutive singles. Leadoff hitter Jessica Phillips scored from second on No. 3 hitter.Deannie Plemon’s RBI base hit, and Valencia was driven in two batters later by Stephanie DeLuca, after advancing to third on Plemon’s hit.

Both runs crossed with no outs in the inning and chased Souhlaris from the game. Souhlaris (5-3) still earned the win, allowing a lone hit before the sixth inning and she did not issue a walk in five innings of work. She struck out two.

Freshman closer Beth Spoehr got Binghamton cleanup hitter Briana Andrews to pop out to shortstop for the first out, and caught Plemon off third after intercepting catcher Spangler’s throw down to second on a first-and-third steal attempt. A line out to right field ended the inning.

“Beth kept her composure and really made a nice play,” Smith said.

Spoehr shut the door in the seventh inning to pick up her fourth save of the season.

“We think that [Spoehr] is a great stopper, and I think that’s really a role that’s going to serve her well going down the stretch,” Smith said.

In the series opener on Saturday, UMaine sophomore pitcher Ashley Kelley pitched a five-hit complete game for her team-leading eighth win. She struck out three and walked one.

“[Kelley] has become a huge part of this team,” Souhlaris said. “It’s great that she’s been able to step up, because without her, I think we’d be in some trouble.”

The Black Bears scored in each of the first three innings and tacked on one more in their final at bat. Freshman first baseman Hilary Kane belted her third home run of the season in the second inning.

In the second game, Souhlaris and Spoehr combined for the five-hit shutout. Souhlaris allowed four hits through six innings and Spoehr struck out two of the four batters she faced in the seventh.

“I caused a lot of ground balls,” Souhlaris said. “A [windy] day like this really works for me, especially with a team that will go after a drop-ball.”

Binghamton stranded four runners in scoring position in the game.

“For the most part, defense did exactly what they needed to do,” Smith said. “We didn’t get hurt by anything defensively. We were clutch where we needed to be.”

The Bearcats committed four errors in each of Saturday’s games, resulting in four unearned runs.

“As long as we hit on the ground, we can make things happen,” Souhlaris said. “We were testing [Binghamton] and seeing what they could do, and we took advantage of the mistakes they were making.”

Spangler scored the game’s first run from third base when Valencia bobbled the ball attempting to get the force out at first.

Binghamton catcher Deannie Plemon threw the ball into center field as Souhlaris broke for second in the second inning, allowing Souhlaris to come all the way around to score.

UMaine junior left fielder Kali Burnham scored senior shortstop Kristen Calvetti from first with an RBI double in the fifth inning and junior Kristen Allen drove Burnham in with a base hit to left field.

“We put ourselves in a really good position for conference by sweeping these three games,” Davis said.

A 24-member selection committee picked Geoffrion over fellow Hobey Hat Trick finalists Gustav Nyquist, a sophomore forward from the University of Maine, and Bobby Butler, a senior forward from the University of New Hampshire.

The three finalists, who were also named first-team All-Americans on Friday, were present at the nationally televised award presentation held at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., the site of the NCAA Frozen Four. Geoffrion is the first Wisconsin player to receive the award.

“[Geoffrion] really deserves this award, and I’m happy for him,” Nyquist said in a phone interview following the announcement.

Criteria for the award, first presented in 1981, include strength of character on and off the ice, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, scholastic achievement and sportsmanship. Fan balloting determined 10 finalists, and the selection panel chose the Hobey Hat Trick at the end of March.

Geoffrion, grandson of NHL Hall of Famer Bernie Geoffrion, was instrumental in Wisconsin’s run to the national championship game, scoring a goal in each of the Badgers’ first four NCAA Tournament games. Wisconsin lost to Boston College in the title game Saturday night.

“It’s a nice way for him to end his college career,” Nyquist said.

In 40 games this season, Geoffrion scored 50 points on 28 goals and 22 assists and was Inside College Hockey’s Player of the Year. The Nashville Predators made Geoffrion the 56th overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Nyquist, from Malmo, Sweden, continues to lead the nation in scoring with 61 points, despite not playing since UMaine was eliminated from the postseason in a March 20 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East Championship Game. He contributed a point in 32 of 39 games this winter, and his scoring total was the highest for a UMaine player since Steve Kariya tallied 65 points in 1998-99.

“It’s just been a huge honor to be one of the top three finalists, and a huge honor to sit next to Bobby and Blake,” Nyquist said. “It’s just a great experience for me.”

Nyquist was the only unanimous selection for Hockey East’s first team, and finished runner-up to Butler for the league’s Player of the Year honor. Nyquist was drafted in the fourth round (121st overall) in 2008 by the Detroit Red Wings.

“I have to thank all my teammates for being a huge part of my success,” Nyquist said.

Nyquist said his grandfather flew in from Sweden for the weekend. UMaine coach Tim Whitehead and athletic director Blake James were also in attendance.

UMaine has had two Hobey Baker Award winners in its history. Scott Pellerin won it in 1992 and Paul Kariya won the following year.

“They’re such great players, and to even be mentioned with one of those players is just a huge honor for me,” Nyquist said.

Butler won the Walter Brown Award, presented to the best American-born hockey player in New England. He was named to the NCAA Tournament East Regional All-Region team after scoring twice in UNH’s win over Cornell in the first round. The Wildcats were eliminated in their next game. Butler’s 53 points rank second in the nation to Nyquist. After the season, Butler signed a free-agent contract with the Ottawa Senators.

Mercurio teed off on a first inning pitch by Division III Thomas College of Waterville starting pitcher Eric Lee Wednesday afternoon to fuel a 13-run frame that was just a hint of things to come in a 20-0 trouncing of the hapless Terriers.

“It felt good,” Mercurio said of his long drive over the left field wall. “It was up a little bit, so I didn’t have to do much with it.”

Mercurio came a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in a four-hit, five-RBI game, and senior shortstop Tony Patane was 5-for-6 with a double and two runs scored, as UMaine (15-13) extended its winning streak to eight games. It was Mercurio’s first four-hit game of the season.

“The pitching’s not up to the caliber we’re going to see this weekend,” Mercurio said. “But if everybody has a good approach and does the things they’re supposed to do, then you can get something out of this game. I think a lot of guys did.”

UMaine is unbeaten in four meetings all-time with Thomas (6-11). The Black Bears used the game as a final tune-up before their America East Conference slate opens this weekend with a three-game set at the University at Albany.

“It gives me an opportunity to play some of these guys that have been working so hard,” UMaine coach Steve Trimper said.

The Black Bears scored once in the fourth inning and rallied for six more in the sixth to account for much of the onslaught. Even senior pitcher Joe Miller got a chance with the bat in the eighth inning.

Trimper was able to work seven pitchers for a maximum of two innings each. The pitching staff held Thomas to just four hits, with just one surrendered after the second inning. Freshman Chris Bernard earned the win in his first career start, allowing three hits through two innings.

Sophomore right-hander A.J. Bazdanes followed Bernard and struck out the side on 10 pitches in his only inning of work. UMaine pitchers faced the minimum in five innings. Kyle Benoit allowed the only walk surrendered by the Black Bears in his first of two innings. Keith Bilodeau, Justin Latta and Ben Orvis combined for three perfect innings before Nick DeVries shut the door in the ninth.

“Even against a team like this, if you throw strikes, you’re going to win,” Mercurio said. “Hopefully our pitchers saw that throwing strikes makes the games a lot easier.”

Bazdanes and Bilodeau have been starters through the first part of the season but used Wednesday’s game to adjust to the relief roles they will take through the conference schedule.

“They’re not having that 30-minute start time like they normally do,” Trimper said.

Lee was responsible for UMaine’s first 13 runs and was replaced after just a third of an inning.

All but one UMaine hitter stepped into the batters box a second time in the first inning and each starter scored at least once. Sophomore center fielder Taylor Lewis tied the school’s single-season record for triples (8) in his second at-bat of the inning.

Thomas senior Payton Austin retired two of the first three batters he faced after replacing Lee to stop the bleeding and held the Black Bears in check for two more innings before UMaine senior catcher Myckie Lugbauer doubled in the fourth and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Lugbauer was 2-for-5 with three runs scored in the game.

UMaine freshman second baseman Robbie Trask’s first career hit came on a two-run homer, which ignited the sixth inning rally. Freshman third baseman Tyler Patzalek’s first career home run was a three-run shot in the same inning.

“It was a game we could have a lot of fun with,” Mercurio said.

Hall, from Bucksport, has started all 137 of her college games at the hot corner and doesn’t plan to take a day off anytime soon. She refuses to relinquish the starting job she earned as a freshman.

“I never back down easily, so I guess I just got what I wanted,” Hall said. “You have to go for your goals, and my goal was to start ever since.”

Hall takes an all-out approach to the game and has been dealt her share of bumps and bruises, but none significant enough to keep her out of coach Deb Smith’s lineup.

“It’s all about your pain tolerance,” Hall said. “You just play through whatever. I would never miss a game.”

Hall’s durability has paid off in the form of consistency. She leads the Black Bears with a .404 batting average and .670 slugging percentage. Her seven home runs also lead the team, and are two shy of her season-high of nine, which she hit as a freshman. She leads the America East Conference in hits (44) and ranks second in runs batted in (33), doubles (8), and home runs (7), and third in runs scored (27).

“She’s certainly been a kid that deserves to be in the lineup somewhere, somehow, every single game, because she’s going to contribute in some way, shape or form,”Smith said.

The graduation of veteran second baseman Ashley Waters last May opened up the third spot in UMaine’s batting order, so Smith moved Hall up from the cleanup spot this spring to drive in consistent leadoff hitter Alexis Souhlaris (.378 batting average) and No. 2 Whitney Spangler (.363). Hall’s 33 runs batted in are 12 more than her nearest teammate and her .450 on-base percentage trails only Souhlaris’ .460.

“Basically, we needed consistency,” Smith said. “Not only are we getting power numbers from [Hall], but we’re also getting that ability to put the bat on the ball. She doesn’t strike out a ton, and she’s doing everything we need a No. 3 to do.”

The former Class B Pitcher and Player of the Year at Bucksport High School has remained relatively under the radar so far in her college career, overshadowed by the record-setting accomplishments of Waters and Souhlaris, but Hall’s 20 career home runs are just 11 shy of UMaine’s record set by Sara Jewett in 2000. Waters holds the career record of 206 games played, and five players have seen action in a single-season record 57 games.

“I really couldn’t tell you what the career home run record was or anything like that,” Hall said. “You can’t make home runs happen. They just happen on their own.”

Hall said she received little interest from NCAA Division I colleges in high school during the recruiting process and considered schools in Virginia and Massachusetts, but none committed to giving her a shot.

“I was getting a lot of negative feedback, being like, ‘Oh, she’ll probably sit out her first couple years of Division I,’” Hall said. “I definitely took that as a challenge for myself.”

Hall’s parents preferred she stay in Maine so they could watch her play, and when former UMaine coach Stacey Sullivan offered Hall a scholarship, the decision to commit was a simple one.

Hall’s father, Terry, is the Black Bears’ hitting coach, and has helped Hall fine-tune her approach at the plate and address weaknesses. Hall feels she is more aggressive in the batter’s box this season when going after first-pitches and taking fewer walks. She has walked just eight times in 109 at bats.

“You can see the maturity there,” Smith said. “She’s a tough out for any pitcher.”

Terry Hall’s instruction has helped four UMaine starters build batting averages above .325 this spring. The Black Bears’ team .290 batting average trails only defending conference champion Boston University at .310.

“I can see the confidence starting to come back with those hitters, and our discipline is starting to come back,” Smith said.

When Hall came in as a freshman, the Black Bears already had a solid pitching rotation, headlined by Jenna Balent and bolstered by Souhlaris and Cayleigh Montano, so Hall elected to give up pitching and specialize as an infielder.

“It’s hard to give up something that you’ve been practicing your whole life,” Hall said. “You just take the opportunity that’s given to you, and third base was that opportunity.”

Fielding has been Hall’s weakness, as she committed a team-high 15 errors as a freshman. She brought that number down to 10 as a sophomore, but already has 11 this spring. Smith has noticed Hall’s focused effort toward improvement with her glove this year.

“She came back in from the summer and fall ball so much quicker, really working on getting her step off the line,” Smith said. “She has really solidified that corner.”

Not one to overanalyze her own statistics, Hall plans to approach her next game the same way as the previous 137.

“I just go out there and play my hardest every game,” Hall said. “If I walk away from the game not feeling relieved that I did the best that I could, then that’s a letdown to me.”

Masters, of Bangor, bested UMaine’s previous outdoor 5,000 meter run record (14:39) three times as a freshman and went into the summer with a 14:23 personal-best. He also competed in the U.S. Junior Nationals 1,500 meter run at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field, where he placed seventh.

Masters’ freshman accolades came after touting high school personal-bests of 4:16 for the mile and 9:38 for two mile.

An inflamed knee cut short Masters’ sophomore cross country season and had him itching to get back on the track. Masters chose to focus on the mile, citing his fitness after the fall was not at the level it needed to be to excel in the 5,000. His goal: to break the school’s indoor mile record of 4:04.

“I knew that his progression last year was so good, that if we were able to progress at the same rate this year as last year, [sub-4:00] was a good possibility,” Lech said. “All I was trying to do this year, over the fall and in the beginning of indoor season, was just try and get him in the ballpark somewhere.”

Masters bumped up his average weekly mileage from 45 to 60 and progressed to 400 meter intervals during workouts rather than 200 meters. He laughed when recalling his high school training regimen, which included Frisbee games and runs to Dunkin Donuts.

“College has been more difficult with training, but I’ve enjoyed it more and I’m seeing a lot more success,” Masters said.

“Riley has good genetic ability,” Lech said. “That’s why he was so good in high school without really doing a lot of training. Once he gets into a regular, consistent program, that’s going to enhance his genetic ability.”

Masters ran a personal best 4:06 on Jan. 29 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Then Lech went to his bag of tricks.

Lech, a former middle-distance standout at Northeastern University in the late 1970s, displayed a workout designed by his college coach, Irwin Cohen.

The workout was four-by-quarter mile, each in 60 seconds or faster, with 20 seconds recovery between intervals — a four-minute mile in five minutes.

Masters ran each interval in 58-59 seconds.

“I knew when I finished that, that the speed was there and the endurance was there,” Masters said. “All I had to do was just get into the race and let someone pull me along.”

Lech and Masters chose the Valentine’s Invitational at Boston University on Feb. 13 because of the potential for a fast mile field. Three runners entered seed times of 4:00.00.

Masters hit the halfway point in 1:58, which was just the second time he had run a sub-2:00 800. The first came the week before in a home meet.

Syracuse University’s Brad Miller towed Masters through 1200 meters in 3:00, when Masters darted to the outside and went for more than just the school record.

“To be honest, when I made that move, I didn’t expect to hold the lead for the rest of the race,” Masters said. “I just saw the splits on the clock, and really that move was just so I could go after four minutes. When you see 3:00 on that clock at 1200, everyone’s thinking, ‘OK, I have a chance at it.’ I knew I was capable of it, so that’s why I made that move.”

Masters’ courage made him the only finisher under 4:00, at 3:59.97. Unfortunately for him, eight other collegians ran faster on the same day in a meet at the University of Washington, giving Masters only an outside chance of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

Masters fine-tuned his leg speed in the following weeks and clocked a 3:59.07 at the Columbia Last Chance meet in New York City on March 5, seeding him ninth in the NCAA field. It was the first time he had qualified for the NCAA’s.

“The Columbia meet, I was just able to bear down a little bit more,” Masters said. “At Valentines, I was already running a huge PR. This time I knew every split second was going to count towards getting to NCAA’s.”

Masters finished fifth in a tactical final at the NCAA’s in 4:04.29 to earn All-American status. He advanced out of his preliminary heat with the second fastest time (4:03.10) in the field of 16 runners.

“It was a tribute to his racing ability and toughness that he made the final, and basically he was running on fumes,” Lech said.

“Just getting to the final was the big goal,” Masters said. “Once I got to the final, all the pressure was off. That worked out for me I think. A lot of guys made moves to go after it, and I kind of held back a little bit and was able to salvage quite a few spots at the end.”

After a healthy indoor season, Masters feels his endurance will better suit him in the 5k outdoors, but he has not closed the book on the mile/1500. His goal for this spring is to qualify for the outdoor nationals in either the 5k or 1500.

“Now that I’ve done [sub-4:00] a couple of times, I’m pretty confident that I can do it again,” Masters said. “That’s just one goal out of the way, so I can just establish new ones and go for bigger and better things.”

“I think right now, the sky is the limit,” Lech said.

For University of Maine senior goaltender David Wilson, an overtime goal scored against him in last Saturday’s Hockey East Tournament Final against Boston College also meant the end of his college career, and of the Black Bears’ season.

Eagles senior right wing Matt Lombardi repeatedly whacked at the puck until it finally trickled out from underneath Wilson and creeped across the goal line 5:25 into the extra session. No. 4 BC was practically guaranteed an NCAA Tournament berth before the game started. No. 19 UMaine needed a win to get in.

“It really set in as soon as that puck went in the net,” Wilson said on Tuesday in an interview. “I haven’t really recovered and I doubt I probably will for a long while. It’s never going to be OK.”

What Wilson needs now is the resiliency and support that got him and the Black Bears to that fateful game at the TD Garden in Boston and into overtime.

The Black Bears trailed 4-2, 5-3, and 6-4, and then mounted a two-goal comeback in the final 5:01, completed by freshman right wing Joey Diamond’s equalizer with 0:27 left in the third period.

The game was a microcosm of the Black Bears’ season. They got knocked down, but never knocked out.

The 19-17-3 Black Bears started 1-5 after a pair of disappointing 13-win seasons, but came together under the leadership of junior captain Tanner House and junior assistant captain Jeff Dimmen, as well as a four-member senior class. They strung together five wins to roll into December, swept archrival University of New Hampshire at home in February and were the only U.S. college team to defeat Canadian power University of New Brunswick in an exhibition.

The Black Bears lost six of their last eight regular season games to stumble into the playoffs, and starting goaltender Scott Darling ended his sophomore season prematurely with a suspension for violating team rules.

UMaine coach Tim Whitehead gave freshman goalie Shawn Sirman the nod for the final regular season weekend against the University of Massachusetts, but Sirman was lifted for Wilson in both losses due to ineffectiveness.

The Black Bears still managed to gain home ice for their quarterfinal series against the University of Massachusetts Lowell with help from other conference foes in the final weekend, and Whitehead entrusted the team to Wilson, a four-year backup.

“As soon as I went in against UMass Lowell game one I thought, ‘This is my team now to carry’,” Wilson said. “I thought, ‘It basically comes back on me if I don’t stop a certain amount of pucks, and it’s my fault that we lose that game.’”

Much of the Alfond Arena crowd did not stick around to hear the final horn of UMaine’s 2-1 loss in the opener of the best-of-three series against UMass Lowell. But they came back the following night and so did Wilson, earning his second career shutout to force a decisive third game.

A third-period comeback from being down 2-1 and House’s overtime goal sent UMaine to the semifinals, where they defeated defending national champion Boston University 5-2 on Wilson’s 25th birthday. It was Wilson’s fourth straight game allowing two goals or less.

Wilson’s three tournament wins this month were the only three wins he earned all season. He ended his career without winning a road game. Wilson finished this season with a team best 2.66 goals against average and a 3-5 record in 13 games, and allowed just 1.55 goals per game in five conference games. His career GAA was 3.02.

The 7-6 score of the Hockey East Championship Game was not indicative of Wilson’s play in the tournament and his importance to the Black Bears throughout his career. But Wilson felt the team deserved a better fate.

“I think I let myself down in that last game of Hockey East [Tournament], because my overall goal once I started playoffs was to win Hockey East,” Wilson said. “For a lot of people, that would have seemed like a long shot, coming off the bench and expecting to win Hockey East, but I knew we had the team to do it and I also knew my potential.”

“I truly believe that if we got that win, we would be at the very least in the [NCAA] Frozen Four. I think we definitely would have been in the National Title Game.”

Wilson reflected on the loss just three days after, with the same maturity and class he has become known for.

“It’s been really hard for me to focus ever since that goal went in,” Wilson said. “I’m sure one day I’m going to figure out a way to deal with it, but I haven’t come to that point yet.”

After leading the Streetsville (Ontario) Derbys to the Canadian Junior Hockey Championships as the tournament’s Top Goaltender and Most Valuable Player, the Caledon East, Ontario native spelled Ben Bishop for his first two seasons and gained postseason experience as a freshman when Bishop was injured through the Hockey East quarterfinals. When Bishop elected to forgo his senior season last year to sign with the St. Louis Blues, Wilson took the back seat to incoming freshman Darling. Wilson has not played in more than 14 games in a season for UMaine.

Wilson accepted his role change from being a starter to supporting his teammates. He never became a distraction, and made sure when his name was called, he would not embarrass himself or the team.

“My competitive nature really never stops, even though there were certain times where I thought, ‘Wow, I’m not going to play. I can’t believe this,’” Wilson said. “I was always ready because I knew I have one shot here. If I do well, I might have another shot.”

Wilson hopes another shot will come in the form of a professional contract. Regardless of whether that opportunity comes, he said he will graduate from UMaine with no regrets.

“It’s basically been a roller coaster,” Wilson said. “It’s brought forth every type of emotion I could imagine. Playing in front of the Alfond crowd was the highlight of my career in hockey. Every night I got to step forth on that ice was just a dream.”

Wilson said Boston College junior goaltender John Muse approached him after the championship game and told him the Black Bears could not have made it as far as they had if not for his play. Wilson did not entirely agree with the statement.

His supporters do.

The individual start race was the second of the four-race, six-day event for the since turned 17-year-old from Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Frias’ coaches had told her that she was in second place for a portion of the race. Adding salt to the wound, only the top five finishers in each race were featured in the medal ceremony.

Frias returned to the Nordic Heritage Center the next day for the race of her young career and claimed the most sought-after spot on the podium with a victory in the 5 kilometer freestyle race. Frias was the runner-up in the same race the previous year in Truckee, Calif., while competing in the J2 (14-15 year old) category.

“I was so excited when I got up on the podium, but it didn’t hit me for a while that I had won my first Junior National title,” Frias said Friday back in Colorado. “After my race, I was a nervous wreck.”

Frias said her coach, Josh Smullin, told her she was in third place with one kilometer to go in the race.

“I underestimated the last kilometer, so I really pushed hard on what I thought was the last hill and then found out I had about 500 meters left,” Frias said. “I had to keep skiing hard for what felt like a long time.”

Frias also placed 17th in the 1.2 kilometer classic sprint and her Rocky Mountain region team took third in the team relay (six national regions are represented at the event). It was Frias’ third Junior Olympics, which are held annually, but first as a J1 after competing twice as a J2. Frias’ top finish in her first year at the JO’s was a 19th placing in the 5 kilometer mass start classic race.

Despite her experience and a target on her back as the top qualifier for the event from the Rocky Mountain region, Frias’ lack of familiarity with opponents from the New England and Alaska teams and limited preparation on the narrow and undulating Maine course gave her some uncertainty at the outset of the week.

“I wasn’t confident that I could ski with the rest of the field,” Frias said. “I knew I was skiing well against the Rocky Mountain division from our qualifier races and against the western regions from my results at Soldier Hollow, but I wasn’t sure what Alaska and New England would have. I went out as smooth as I could, telling myself to relax and not to rush, but also aware that this was a fast course and I had to start off going hard.”

The JO’s culminated the Steamboat Springs High School junior’s season, which included eight JO qualifying races in Utah and Colorado. She earned the top qualifying spot on the Rocky Mountain team by winning five of the eight races. Frias also vied for USSA and International Ski Federation (FIS) points in Alaska and Montana.

In January, she raced at the Senior Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska, against the top skiers in the country, and placed 100th overall (19th J1) in the 10-km freestyle race, 81st (11th J1) in the classic sprint, and 112th (22nd J1) in the freestyle sprint.

“JO’s were the main event I was training for next to Senior Nationals, but Senior Nationals is closer to the start of the year and it is difficult to try and peak so early in the season without it affecting the rest of the season,” Frias said. “I was hoping to qualify for Scando Trip this year from Senior Nationals, but I did not make the cut.”

The Scandinavian Cup matches the top under-17-year-old skiers in the world. This year the event was held in Kuopio, Finland. Frias has yet to compete internationally.

Frias said she did not set any specific goals for the JO’s, though she was in the midst of a breakthrough season. Under Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club coaches Smullin and Brian Tate, Frias trains year-round for skiing and has refined her technique to become more efficient. Frias does not race for her school’s team.

“I don’t like setting goals for myself in terms of places, because in some ways I feel like it limits me,” Frias said. “I know that I want to ski as fast as I possibly can and finish the race with the feeling that I gave it my all and I raced the smartest race I could have. I think in the last two years I have trained a lot harder and put a lot more effort into my skiing, and my coaches have helped me enormously.”

Frias partially tore her medial collateral ligament (MCL) last fall, but felt the injury may have been a blessing in disguise. It was the first significant setback of her career.

“I had to do a lot of strength training and indoor bicycling and elliptical running for a while, and could only classic ski for the duration of the Yellowstone ski camp, but I think it really only had positive effects,” Frias said. “I became a better classic skier and really improved my upper body strength.”

Frias aims to ski in college and eventually at the professional level. She has a 4.0 GPA and hopes to one day travel the world as an on-the-ground reporter for conflicts, writing about politics and foreign policy.

“My focus now is just to improve my skiing even further,” Frias said. “I am strong enough that I can ski with some of the top juniors in the nation now, but my technique and strength still has a long way to go. I think that if I can continue to improve my technique, strength, fitness and explosive power, my results will definitely improve further.”