Vermont 6, Stony Brook 2

Game One: BOX SCORE

Stony Brook 6, Vermont 4

Game Two: BOX SCORE

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A pair of 11-game winning streaks were stopped in the same doubleheader as Vermont and Stony Brook spilt a pair in America East baseball at Centennial Field on Friday afternoon. Behind strong pitching by Jamie Merchant, Vermont won the opener, 6-2, while the Seawolves pounded out six extra-base hits in taking game two, 6-4.

Vermont came into the twinbill riding an 10-game winning streak while Stony Brook had won 11 in a row. It was the first conference action of the season for the Catamounts (16-5, 1-1 America East) who, in game one, handed Stony Brook (19-9, 9-1) their first loss in league play.

In the opener, UVM used timely hitting to jump out to an early advantage. After SBU starter Jon Lewis (2-2) walked the bases loaded in the first, Jason Carey’s (2-for-3) two-out single scored two runs. In the second, Leif Ekelund led with a double and Bobby Tewksbary singled him home with two outs. With Tewksbary aboard in the fifth, Barry Chamberland drilled a long home run to straight-away center, his third homer in three straight games, to make it 5-0.

After allowing a pair of hits in the first, Merchant dominated through the middle innings retiring 17 of the next 19 Seawolves in cruising to his fourth win of the year with no defeats. He allowed six hits, walked just one and struck out seven while giving up the only two runs with two outs in the seventh.

Vermont broke out of the gate with two runs in the first inning of game two. Tewksbary and Chamberland walked with one scoring on Jay Iannoni’s single an the other on a fielder’s choice by Carey. After that, Seawolves freshman lefty David Wood set down 13 straight Catamounts while his team took the lead with four in the fourth. Matt Devins opened with a single off UVM’s Brian Robinson before back-to-back doubles by Mike Russo and Andrew Larsen scored two runs. Ed Kull scored Larsen with a 2-run HR to left.

Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, Iannoni reached on an error and Kyle Brault walked to start the frame. With two outs, Ekelund doubled home Iannoni before reliever Matt Restivo (3rd save) came in to retire Derek Root to end the threat.

Hurt by the one bad inning, Robinson (1-1) walked one and struck out nine in taking the loss. Wood allowed three hits and walked four in improving to 4-3.

The Catamounts and Stony Brook play another twin bill on Saturday.