Vermont 6, Albany 3

BOX SCORE

Vermont 7, Albany 6

BOX SCORE

BURLINGTON, Vt. – A strong effort by Brian Robinson and three timely home runs gave Vermont a doubleheader sweep over Albany in America East baseball at a sundrenched Centennial Field on Monday afternoon.

A complete game by Robinson and a mammoth homer by Kyle Brault gave the Catamounts a 6-3 win in game one while Barry Chamberland and Bobby Tewksbary went deep as UVM held on to win the nightcap, 7-6.

With the sweep, UVM (21-8, 6-2 America East) took three of the four game series with the Great Danes (15-22, 8-8) and moved into a tie for first place in the America East with Maine and Stony Brook. Vermont now has 20 or more games for the seventh straight season and this year they have won 20 games quicker (in their 27th game) than in any other season under 16-year head coach Bill Currier.

In the opener, Vermont loaded the bases with no outs and a walk to Tewksbary forced in one and they added another on a double play. In the next half inning, Robinson’s only bad frame, Albany went ahead with three on Kurt Zimnewicz’ two-run double and an error on a failed pick off attempt. Freshman Chris Marsh squeeze bunt tied it in the UVM fourth and in the fifth, Chamberland singled home Tewksbary, who had doubled.

The Cats put it out of reach in the sixth on Brault’s 450-foot two-run homer off loser Jeff Mazzola (2-4), which cleared the soccer bleachers to the right of the flagpole in deep left centerfield. Robinson (2-1) scattered seven hits and struck out nine in going the route for the first time this season.

Game two was tightly fought and Vermont opened the scoring on a two-run homer by Chamberland in the first. Jeff Barry (1-for-3, 2 SB) singled home Tewksbary for another run in the third before the UA exploded of Cats’ starter Jeff Dixon in the top of the fourth. With no outs, Dan Schoonmaker hit a two-run homer and then with two outs they took the lead on a three-run blast by Tony Vallone.

But the lead was short-lived as UVM went ahead with four in the bottom of the fourth. With one out Brault, Marsh (2-for-3) and Nick Roberts singled off loser Kyle Thomas (3-4) for one run and Raymond Montanez squeezed home another. Tewksbary then gave the Catamounts the edge for good with a two-run homer to left center, his second of the year, to cap a 4-for-6, 3 runs, 3 RBI, day at the plate.

Albany used a walk and two singles to cut it to 7-6 in the seventh. UVM’s Brett Dobens came on for Justin Bissonnette (2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K’s) and retired the side striking out Brad Daniels looking with the bases loaded to end the game. Bissonnette (2-1) picked up the win while Dobens earned his third save.

The Catamounts play a non-conference game at UMass on Wednesday before returning to conference play this weekend when they host Hartford in doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.