St. Louis University's timing couldn't be better. The Billikens closed the regular season last week with a three-game sweep of Dayton that secured them a spot in the Atlantic 10 tournament, then won four straight games in Camden, N.J., capped by a 5-4 win over top-seeded Charlotte on Saturday to take the league title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006.

"We got hot at the right time," said right fielder Jerry Mancuso, whose bases-loaded, two-out double in the bottom of the first scored the runs that made the difference. "We came here red hot and we rolled. It's the greatest feeling I've had in baseball."

SLU (33-27) will learn Monday where it will be headed for the NCAAs.

Two weeks ago, SLU was swept in a three-game series by Charlotte, but the Billikens, the fifth seed in the tournament, beat the 49ers twice in four days in the tournament. "We played loose, with nothing to lose," SLU coach Darin Hendrickson said. "We're on a winning streak, and that feels great."

SLU scored five runs in the first inning, and those runs stood up. Charlotte had scored twice in the top of the first, but SLU quickly pulled ahead in the bottom of the inning. With runners on first and second, Steve Fernandez hit a hard grounder to short that was ruled an error and loaded the bases. Mancuso followed with a double to right field that cleared the bases. "I didn't get all of it, but I got enough to get it to the fence," he said.

SLU starter Andrew Buckham allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings before being relieved by Jason Bell, who pitched four scoreless innings and protected a 5-4 lead. He got to two outs in the ninth before giving up two singles and a walk to load the bases. Hendrickson brought in Bryant Cotton, who had pitched a complete-game four-hitter against Charlotte (39-17) on Thursday. He struck out Corey Shaylor on a 1-2 slider to seal the win. Cotton had fanned Shaylor twice on Thursday.