KINGSTON, R.I. — Tommy Lawrence and Mike Connolly turned in resilient pitching performances to get the University of Maine into Sunday’s America East Conference championship game.

Jake Lambert of Binghamton did them one better.

The senior right-hander pitched eight shutout innings Sunday on his way to the tournament MVP honor, leading the second-seeded Bearcats to a 4-0 victory over the Black Bears at Bill Beck Field.

Coach Tim Sinicki’s Binghamton squad (30-23) earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, while Steve Trimper’s UMaine team closes out the season at 37-22.

Rain forced the tourney to be postponed to Sunday and the site was moved from LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., to the University of Rhode Island facility because an AAU game had been scheduled at LeLacheur Park.

Pitching on three days’ rest, the 6-foot-9 Lambert (7-2) baffled the Bears, allowing five singles while mixing a fastball and a changeup in with an effective slider. He struck out seven and walked one, throwing 120 pitches.

Lambert finished the tournament with 17 scoreless innings after throwing a nine-inning two hitter in Binghamton’s 9-0 win over Albany on Wednesday.

Lambert was joined on the all-tourney team by teammates David Schanz, Daniel Nevares. UMaine’s honorees included Lawrence, Connolly and Eric White.

Connolly (6-4), who had thrown nine innings and 121 pitches in Friday afternoon’s 3-1 win over Stony Brook, gave UMaine a chance on Sunday.

He allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings and finished with two strikeouts, four walks and two hit batsmen. The Bears could not score on his behalf.

Nevares drove in two runs with a pair of singles, while Schanz and Jake Thomas each stroked a double and a single for Binghamton. Shaun McGraw and Nick Pancerella each had two singles and drove in a run.

Eric White of Brewer posted two singles among only six hits for UMaine.

Trailing 4-0, the Bears threatened in the ninth inning — after Lambert had been replaced by Jake Cryts, who promptly walked Troy Black and Mike Fransoso.

Cryts was replaced by Mike Urbanski, who got Alex Calbick to pop out to shortstop. However, White reached on an infield single behind the bag at third that loaded the bases.

Urbanski struck out Scott Heath of Westbrook, then got Brian Doran to fly out to center field to close out the win.

The Bearcats scored the only run they would need in the top of the first. Zach Blanden worked a leadoff walk, was nearly doubled off on a liner to the mound by David Schanz, then scored on a one-out infield single to the shortstop hole that was knocked down by Fransoso.

His throw to the plate was in time, but tailed up the first-base line, then Jonathan Salcedo threw out Nevares, who tried to take second on the throw.

Binghamton put another run on the board in the third inning. Schanz pulled a double down the line in left with one out, Thomas walked, then McGraw delivered a run-scoring single past shortstop.

The Bearcats added an insurance run in the sixth after Connolly hit Brian Ruby and John Howell with pitches to open the frame. Pancerella followed by slashing an RBI single past second baseman Black after faking a bunt.