Marist 5, Vermont 4 (12 innings)

BOX SCORE

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- In a back-and-forth battle between two of the top teams in the region, Tim Allen’s game-ending homer was the difference as Marist outlasted Vermont, 5-4, in 12 innings at McCann Field on Tuesday afternoon.

The Catamounts, now 18-6, came into the non-conference contest ranked 12th in the CollegeBaseballInsider.com Northeast Region poll while the Red Foxes (23-10-1) are ranked 13th. Vermont let a 4-2 lead slip away in the bottom of the ninth before Marist rallied to force extra innings and then Allen ended it leading off the home half of the 12th.

Down 2-1 after seven, UVM took the lead in the eighth. Raymond Montanez (2-for-5) led with a double and scored on Bobby Tewksbary’s triple. With one out, Barry Chamberland’s sacrifice fly made in 3-2. The Catamounts added another run in the ninth as Kyle Brault reached on a three-base error in left field and scored on a wild pitch.

But the Red Foxes tied it with a two-out rally in their half of the ninth off Jared Slater. Eric Johnson drew a walk and then Keith Brachold doubled down the right field line. Andy Kiriakedes then scored both runners with a single up the middle.

Both teams had runners in scoring position in extra frames, Marist in the 10th and Vermont in the 11th. The Catamounts then put runners on first and second with one out in the 12th when Tewksbary hit a long fly ball to right field, that appeared to be over Brachold's head. However, Brachold made an over the shoulder catch and doubled Dean Geoffrey off second for an inning-ending double play to set up Allen's heroics.

Tewksbary’s 12th inning bid was short but he went 3-for-6 with a single, double and triple while scoring twice. Jeff Barry and Chamberland also had RBI hits while Jason Carey and Kyle Brault each doubled.

Jeff Dixon started for Vermont and hurled six strong innings scattering eight hits, allowing two runs while striking out four. Slater pitched well in his two-plus inning stint until the ninth and Brett Dobens (0-1) was solid for two-plus innings prior to Allen’s HR. Marist’s Chris Homer (2-1) hurled five innings (three hits, one earned run 7 K’s) of three-hit relief for the win.

Vermont returns home to face Plattsburgh State on Thursday at 3:00pm. They return to America East action this weekend hosting Albany in a four-game series on Friday and Saturday.