DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball tam snapped a tie by scoring eight runs in the top of the eighth inning on five hits, four walks, three wild pitches, a balk, and an infield error to gain a split of Saturday's Little East Conference doubleheader with a 12-8 second-game victory. UMass won the opener, 5-1, behind a combined two-hitter.

In the first game, Matt Cronin no-hit Eastern (19-12, 8-4 LEC) for 8 1/3 innings in UMass Dartmouth's  (20-12, 4-8 LEC) 5-1 victory. Cronin walked five and hit a batter and allowed Merlyn Herrera's (La Yaquiza, DR) with one out in the ninth before giving way to Logan Maitla, who surrendered an RBI single to Anthony Stigler (Mansfield) that broke up the shutout with one out in the ninth before getting a strikeout and comebacker to end the game.

In the second game, Stigler was 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, with Ryan Hood (Arlington, MA) going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run and Mike Funaro (Northford) 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored.

Eastern led 4-0 in the second game before UMass tied the game with four runs in the sixth, three coming home on Mike Knell's three-run home run with none out.  Trailing 12-4, the Corsairs got four back in the ninth and had a runner aboard before Cole Ogorzalek (Portland) got two infield ground balls to end the game.

With two Little East games remaining Friday at the University of Southern Maine, Eastern is in third place, a game up on Rhode Island College and two games behind leader UMass Boston. The LEC double-elimination tournament is scheduled for May 9-12 at the site of the No. 1 seed.

Eastern hosts Wheaton College in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.