BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Maine Black Bears had an opportunity to greatly enhance their postseason chances during an America East weekend series at Vermont. It was a missed opportunity.

The momentum generated during the Bears’ recent seven-game win streak didn’t carry over as the Catamounts swept four games at Centennial Field.

Vermont won Sunday’s opener 7-5, then took an 8-4 decision in the nightcap. The hosts won 3-2 and 7-4 in Saturday’s doubleheader.

Maine (18-23) faces a dogfight for the fourth and final berth in the America East tournament. The Bears slipped to 7-13 in league play.

Vermont (22-14, 12-8) assumed sole possession of third place behind league-leading Delaware and Northeastern.

The Bears, who led in all four games, couldn’t put the Catamounts away. Vermont won the first three games in its final at-bat.

“I think it all has to do with something we’ve struggled with quite a bit this year and that’s knowing how to overcome, how to win, basically,” said senior captain Rex Turner, whose grand slam in the first inning of Sunday’s second game gave Maine a 4-0 edge.

“I think we have a hard time getting done what has to get done without pressing,” he added. “It’s kind of an abstract thing. It’s hard to put your finger on it.”

The Bears didn’t get much done Sunday, especially when it counted. Vermont tagged Maine pitching for 12 hits in each game, while Maine left 18 runners on base and committed three errors in Game 2.

“I think this is a team that has to play on all cylinders to win,” said Maine coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “When you’re like that, when everyone needs to play very well, you’re susceptible to weekends like this.”

In Sunday’s opener, Keith Carter drilled a three-run home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh as the hosts snatched another come-from-behind win.

Maine starter Jon Dickinson battled in tight situations, but couldn’t finish off the Cats. The Bears stranded 11 runners and went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position.

“We just couldn’t sustain anything,” Kostacopoulos said. “We feel we really have to pick up all the runs in order to win. They bunched their hits together and we didn’t bunch our hits at all. We didn’t capitalize.”

In the Vermont seventh, pinch hitter Dennis Moser singled to left and Heath Squires ripped a shot off the glove of diving third baseman Tony Fernandez. Dickinson gave way to freshman Rick Hewey, who struck out Kyle Rikert, but surrendered an RBI single to Wade Rikert and had a 1-2 count on Carter before leaving a fastball out over the plate that Carter crunched.

The Bears had pushed their lead to 4-2 in the sixth on Gabe Memmert’s two-out RBI double, but UVM countered with a run on Carter’s scorched infield hit off Memmert’s glove at first, a walk to Dana Forsberg, and a two-out, RBI single by Bob Acabbo.

Julian Bracali had two singles, including an RBI hit in the third, while Turner and Memmert each rapped a double and a single. The Bears did not commit an error.

Vermont completed the sweep with more late-inning heroics, going ahead with two runs in the fifth against sophomore Jared Cochran (0-2), who was making his first start of the season.

Dana Forsberg drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on Acabbo’s hard single to right, which went past Brandon Brewer for a two-base error. He scored on Chad Emery’s single to left, which chased Cochran and gave UVM a 6-4 lead.

Rob Worcester got the last two outs, but the Catamounts touched him up for two runs in the sixth on Carter’s RBI single and a Michael Cole sacrifice fly.

Carter paced Vermont with two hits and two RBIs behind Chris Lavoie (4-3), who surrendered Turner’s slam, but allowed only three hits the rest of the way.

On Saturday, Maine made mistakes in the field and failed to come up with timely hits. The Bears grabbed early leads in both games but never put together a breakthrough inning offensively and didn’t make clutch pitches or plays.

“We’re not good enough to just go out there and think everything good’s going to happen,” Kostacopoulos said. “[Vermont] got some clutch hits, they battled back. We just didn’t carry anything through today.”

In the chilly opener, ace Tom Koutrouba (5-4) pitched well but Vermont lefthander Ryan Spillane was a bit better.

The Catamounts rallied to win it in the seventh. Forsberg grounded a leadoff single through the middle and moved up on Acabbo’s sacrifice bunt. Mark Denzine’s RBI single to right tied the game 2-2 and chased Koutrouba.

Reliever Hewey hit Wade Rikert with a pitch, then surrendered Kyle Rikert’s hot single through the box. Kregg Jarvais couldn’t handle T.J. Sheedy’s throw to the plate from center field and Denzine scored the game-winner.

Turner’s leadoff home run in the second inning and an RBI single in the second by Sheedy were Maine’s key hits.

Kyle Rikert paced the Catamounts with three hits, while Jason Spaulding (4-2) got the final two outs to earn the win.

In Saturday’s nightcap, the Bears didn’t capitalize on early scoring chances. Maine loaded the bases in the second with none out, but managed only one run, on a Jarvais fielder’s choice.

Turner drilled an RBI double in the third and scored on an error, but an inning-ending double play bailed out UVM’s Chris Bajda, who then regained his composure, and command of his curveball.

The Bears managed only one baserunner after Jarvais laced a solo homer with one out in the fourth.

Catamounts 3, Bears 2

(Saturday’s First Game)

Maine Vermont

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Poire, 2b 3 1 1 0 W. Rikert, of 3 0 0 0

Sheedy, cf 3 0 1 1 K. Rikert, lf 4 0 3 1

Memmert, 1b 3 0 0 0 Carter, 3b 3 0 1 0

Turner, lf 3 1 1 1 Weaver, 3b 0 0 0 0

Bracali, dh 2 0 1 0 Squires, rf 3 0 1 0

Brewer, rf 3 0 0 0 Cole, ss 3 1 1 0

Coombs, rf 0 0 0 0 Forsberg, 1b 2 1 1 0

Jarvais, c 3 0 0 0 Acabbo, c 1 0 0 0

Halsted, 3b 2 0 0 0 Denzins, 2b 2 1 1 2

Fernandez, 3b 1 0 1 0 Grzywack, dh 2 0 0 0

Croteau, ss 2 0 1 0 Emery, dh 1 0 0 0

Totals 25 2 6 2 Totals 24 3 8 3

Maine 011 000 0 – 2

Vermont 000 010 2 – 3

E – Halsted 2, Coombs, Forsberg 2B – Croteau HR – Turner LOB – Maine 7, Vermont 6 DP – Koutrouba-Croteau-Memmert; Carter-Denzine-Forsberg SB – Sheedy S – Croteau, Acabbo 2, Denzine

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

Koutrouba (L, 5-4) 6 1/3 7 3 3 1 4

Hewey 1/3 1 0 0 0 0

Vermont

Spillane 6 1/3 6 2 1 4 4

Spaulding (W, 4-2) 2/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP – Rikert by Hewey WP – Spillane T – 2:10

Catamounts 7, Bears 4

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Maine (18-21) Vermont (20-14)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Poire, 2b 4 0 2 0 Squires, rf 4 1 1 1

Sheedy, cf 4 1 1 0 K. Rikert, lf 3 0 0 0

Memmert, 1b 4 0 1 0 W. Rikert, cf 3 1 0 0

Turner, lf 4 1 1 1 Carter, 3b 3 0 1 1

Bracali, dh 3 1 2 0 Weaver, 3b 0 0 0 0

Fernandez, 3b 2 0 0 0 Cole, ss 3 1 0 0

Croteau, ss 2 0 0 0 Forsberg, 1b 3 1 2 2

Jarvais, c 3 1 1 2 Acabbo, c 3 1 1 0

Coombs, rf 2 0 0 0 Emery, dh 3 1 1 0

Hambleton, rf 1 0 0 0 a-Grzywacz 0 1 0 0

Denzine, 2b 2 0 1 1

Totals 29 4 8 3 Totals 27 7 7 5

a-ran for Emery in the sixth

Maine 012 100 0 – 4

Vermont 100 402 0 – 7

E – Fernandez, Croteau, Morelli; Cole, Bajda 2B – Turner, Emery HR – Jarvais, Emery LOB – Maine 6, Vermont 5 DP – Forsberg-Cole

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

O’Brien (L,3-5) 5 1/3 7 7 5 0 2

Morelli 2/3 0 0 0 0 1

Vermont

Bajda (W,5-2) 7 8 4 2 2 5

HBP – W. Rikert and K. Rikert by Morelli, Denzine by O’Brien WP – Bajda PB – Jarvais T – 2:00 A – 75

Catamounts 7, Bears 5

(Sunday’s First Game)

Maine Vermont

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Poire, 2b 3 2 0 0 Squires, rf 4 2 2 0

Sheedy, cf 3 0 1 0 K. Rikert, lf 4 1 2 0

Memmert, 1b 4 1 2 1 W. Rikert, cf 4 1 2 3

Turner, lf 3 1 2 0 Carter, 3b 4 2 3 3

Bracali, dh 4 1 2 1 Cole, ss 2 0 1 0

Fernandez, 3b 3 0 1 1 Forsberg, 1b 2 0 0 0

Brewer, rf 2 0 0 0 Acabbo, c 3 0 1 1

Jarvais, c 4 0 1 0 Emery, dh 3 0 0 0

Croteau, ss 4 0 1 0 Denzine, 2b 2 0 0 0

a-Moser 1 0 1 0

b-Grzywacz 0 1 0 0

Totals 30 5 10 3 Totals 29 7 12 7

a-Moser singled for Denzine in the seventh

b-Grzywacz ran for Moser in the seventh

Maine 003 001 1 – 5

Vermont 002 001 4 – 7

E – W. Rikert, Forsberg 2B – Memmert, Turner, K. Rikert HR – Carter LOB – Maine 11, Vermont 5 DP – Poire-Croteau-Memmert, Fernandez-Poire-Memmert; Carter-Denzine-Forsberg

SF – Fernandez

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

Dickinson 8 10 5 5 2 4

Hewey (L) 1/3 2 2 2 0 1

Vermont

Marcotte 5 7 3 3 3 3

Spaulding (W) 2 3 2 1 1 2

HBP – Poire, Brewer by Marcotte BK – Marcotte

Catamounts 8, Bears 4

(Sunday’s Second Game)

Maine (18-23) Vermont (22-14)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Poire, 2b 4 0 0 0 Squires, rf-cf 4 2 2 1

Sheedy, cf 3 0 0 0 K.Rikert, lf 3 2 2 0

Bracali, dh 3 1 1 0 W.Rikert,cf-rf 4 1 2 0

Memmert, 1b 2 1 0 0 Carter, 3b 4 0 2 2

Fernandez, 3b 2 1 1 0 Cole, ss 3 0 1 1

Turner, lf 3 1 1 4 Forsberg, 1b 2 1 0 0

Brewer, rf 2 0 1 0 Acabbo, dh 3 1 1 1

Jarvais, c 3 0 1 0 Emery, c 3 0 1 1

Croteau, ss 3 0 0 0 Denzine, 2b 3 1 1 0

a-Coombs 0 0 0 0

b-Hambleton 1 0 0 0

Totals 25 4 5 4 Totals 29 8 12 6

a-Coombs ran for Brewer in the sixth

b-Hambleton grounded into double play for Croteau in sixth

Maine 400 000 0 – 4

Vermont 200 222 0 – 8

E – Fernandez 2, Brewer 2B – Bracali, Jarvais, Cole HR – Turner, Squires LOB – Maine 6; Vermont 10 DP – Poire-Croteau-Memmert; Cole-Denzine-Forsberg SB – K. Rikert SF – Cole

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

Cochran (L) 4 1/3 10 6 4 3 0

Worcester 1 2/3 2 2 2 2 1

Vermont

Lavoie 7 5 4 4 6 3

HBP – K. Rikert by Worcester WP – Cochran