Mansfield, Conn. - Top-seeded Eastern Connecticut scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to erase a two-run defict and fend off elimination as the Warriors edged fourth-seeded WPI, 6-5, to advance to the championship round of the NCAA Division III New England Regional tomorrow afternoon against third-seeded Trinity College (Conn.). Senior designated hitter Tristan Hobbes (Utica, N.Y.) singled through the right side of the infield to drive in the tying run, and the Warriors capitalized on a throwing error to complete the walk-off win.

Eastern Connecticut (39-7) had eliminated seventh-seeded Husson University (33-14) with an 18-hit barrage earlier in the day to reach the elimination bracket final against the Engineers (30-13), which were drubbed, 14-0 in Friday night's winners' bracket final by defending national champion Trinity College and did not leave the field until 11:30 p.m.

Against WPI Saturday, the Warriors trailed 5-3 entering the ninth inning against the Engineers, but rallied for three runs to record their fourth tournament win in two days after an opening loss to eight-seeded Babson College Wednesday afternoon.

Eastern, which has won the last four New England tournaments in which it has competed, earned a spot in the championship round with the win over WPI, but will have to defeat third-seeded and defending regional champion Trinity College (32-5) twice Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The Bantams were idle Saturday after defeating second-seeded University of Southern Maine and the Engineers on Friday. The Warriors have reached the championship round of the New England/Northeast Regional tournament the last 22 times in which it has competed since 1980.

With one out in the ninth inning against first-team All-New England righty Conor Fahey (Cumberland, R.I.), No. 3 hitter Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) singled hard off the glove of third baseman of Nick Bean (Middleboro, Mass.), and Shawn Gilblair (Windham, Conn.) sent him to third with a smash off the glove of new first baseman Jameson Kokolis (Manchester, N.H.). With Andrew Dyer (Topsfield, Mass.) running for Shawn Gilblair (Windham, Conn.), Melvin Castillo (Danbury, Conn.) walked to load the bases for Hobbes. Hobbes, who had flown out to deep center field to leave the bases loaded in the fifth, ripped a single into right-center to score Schult  and Dyer to tie the game at 5-5. Robert Perry (Manchester, Conn.), who had driven in five runs with two home runs earlier in the day against Husson, then ground hard to the left side. Bean made a brilliant play to his back hand to keep the ball from going into the outfield, but his throw across the diamond to Kokolis skipped past the first baseman as Castillo raced in from third with the game-winning run.

WPI erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring four runs in its final four at-bats to bring its two-run lead into the ninth. The Engineers scored two runs in the sixth on two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly, and took the lead in the seventh when Paul Galligan (Weymouth, Mass.) came home from third on a throwing error to first by the Eastern catcher on a third  strike in the dirt. Galligan had singled to right-center to open the seventh, and stole second and third. WPI added an insurance run in the ninth to go up 5-3 on a leadoff home run by No. 3 hitter Matt Moreau (Manchester, N.H.).

Fahey, who had pitched into the  eighth inning of his team's 7-6 first-round win over Suffolk Wednesday, carried a seven-hitter into the ninth inning.

Gilblair, the New England Player-of-the-Year this season, reached base five times with three hits and two walks. He recorded his 21^st double of the year (one shy of the season record) in the second, singled and scored in the fourth, and walked in the fifth and seventh  before singling in the ninth. Schult, who had two hits to back his own seven-hit complete game against Husson, had two more hits against WPI, with his ninth-inning leadoff single the 100^th in his 83-game two-year career.

Eastern righty James Kukucka (Vernon, Conn.) allowed only six hits through six innings - equalliing his career high of eight strikeouts -- but was lifted  after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh inning of a tie game.

Moreau, cleanup hitter Scott McNee (Falmouth, Mass.) and Bryan Watkins  (Belmont, Mass.) all had two hits against three Eastern pitchers, with Moreau scoring twice. The game was the first meeting ever between Eastern and WPI, which won its first two games in its first NCAA appearance ever. After being eliminated in three games in its conference tournament, th e Engineers defeated Becker College and Worcester State College to capture its first ECAC championship last weekend  and brought a six-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament.

In eliminating Husson earlier Saturday, Eastern recorded 18 hits - four of them home runs and nine of them for extra bases -- against four pitchers. Perry swatted a two-run home run in the second and a three-run shot in the fifth. Castillo was 3-for-5 (two doubles) with three runs scored and two RBI, and No. 9 hitter Steve Cammuso (Rutland, Mass.) was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. John Parke (Middlefield, Conn.), Schult, Gilblair, Perry, and Joe Cousineau (Newington, Conn.) all contributed two hits each. Schult gave himself a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the  top of the first, and Cammuso tagged a two-run shot in the fourth. Schult (4-0) gave up seven hits and only one earned run in his first complete game in eight starts. He fanned a career-high 11 and walked two.

The regular-season meeting between the No. 3 nationally-ranked Warriors and fifth-ranked Bantams was cancelled due to rain. The teams have met only once in NCAA regional play, Eastern posting a come-from-behind 9-6 win at the Eastern Baseball Stadium on the way to its third national championship.