GORHAM, Maine – Making their first starts after long layoffs, sophomore lefty Orlando Gonzalez (Montville) and senior righty Tyler Cyr (Bristol) pitched Eastern Connecticut State University into the championship round of the 2015 Little East Conference Baseball Tournament Friday at the USM Baseball Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Maine.

In back-to-back elimination games, Gonzalez (3-2) pitched his first career complete game in fifth-seeded Eastern's (22-16) 8-1 victory over fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston (23-15), and Cyr ( (2-2) pitched into the ninth inning in a 4-2 win over second-seeded University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (25-17).

Eastern has won three games since a 7-4 loss to UMass Dartmouth in Wednesday's first round and must defeat top-seeded Southern Maine (30-12) twice beginning at noon Saturday in order to successfully defend its 2014 title.

Southern Maine moved into the championship round Friday by defeating UMass Dartmouth, 9-2, in the winners' bracket final. Eastern has won eight times and lost only once when reaching the final day's championship round, defeating Southern Maine all three times the clubs have faced off on the final day.  Since going 12 years without a tournament title, No. 27 nationally-ranked Southern Maine is in search of its third title in the last four years.

Both Gonzalez and Cyr pitched seven-hitters, Cyr  giving way with one out and two runners on in the ninth to All-New England junior closer Adam Merritt (Seymour), who induced the only batter he faced into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play for his third save. Eastern had 12 hits in each game.

Making his first start since April 22, Gonzalez fanned 14 – two shy of his career-high – and walked three. Starting for the first time since pitching into the fifth inning (without a decision) of a 7-1 home win over UMass Dartmouth April 25, Cyr struck out one and also walked three.

Gonzalez shut out UMass Boston after the Beacons scored their only run in the top of the first inning on a leadoff walk and RBI double by Daniel Manto, but the  6-foot-4 inch, 220 pound Division II transfer got a pair of swinging strikeouts to leave the bases loaded.

Against UMB, Eastern scored five times in the second inning after there were two out and two on, capitalizing on three hits, an error, walk and two hit batters. Sophomore shortstop Christian Budzik's (Cromwell) tied the game with a single, the go-ahead walk was forced in on a walk, and senior leftfielder Joe Perez (North Branford) drove in two runs with a single, with a third run scoring on the hit due to a throwing error.

At right: Tyler Cyr (Photo by Jack Holleran, UMass Dartmouth)

Eastern scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth on four hits, an error, balk and walk to erase a 2-1 deficit against UMass Dartmouth. Freshman first baseman D.J. Scavone (Auburn, MA) drove in junior third baseman Chad Adams (Ware, MA) – who drew an inning-opening walk -- with a game-tying double and Scavone eventually scored the go-ahead run on a balk. . With one out, senior rightfielder Kyle Hart (Guilford) and junior catcher Tim Budd (Cheshire) singled and No. 9 hitter Pat Sirois (Cromwell) made it 4-2 with an RBI opposite-field single through the left side.

On the day, Perez reached safely seven times with six hits and a walk and recorded his 100^th career hit with a fifth-inning single against UMass Dartmouth. Sirois, Scavone, Hart and junior DH Andrew Scully (Stratford) each added three hits. Sirois also reached with a walk and hit-by-pitch and scored three runs. Adams had two hits, reached three times with walks, drove in a run and scored two runs.

In four tournament games, Perez is batting .667 (10-for-15) with four RBI and four runs scored. Adams and Scavone are both hitting .357 (5-for-14), with Adams also reached five times on walks.