ORONO – The University of Maine pitching staff continued to produce, but fielding lapses and inconsistent hitting led to a weekend standoff against Vermont.

Maine and Vermont split North Atlantic Conference doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday at Mahaney Diamond. That enabled Vermont to hold onto second place in the league, but Maine slipped to fifth behind 9-7 Northeastern.

Senior righthander Ryan Smith pitched his first career shutout, leading Maine to a 6-0 victory in Sunday’s opener, but Vermont junior Todd Herrington blanked the Bears 4-0 on five hits in Game 2.

Saturday, Vermont pulled out a 5-4 win in the opener, then the Bears took the nightcap 6-4.

Coach John Winkin’s 17-27 Bears head into next weekend’s four-game series against Northeastern with a 10-8 NAC mark. Coach Bill Currier’s Cats are 21-9 and 11-5.

The Bears thought they should have fared better.

“I don’t think we’re satisfied. We had a lot of opportunities to win at least three out of four,” said Maine freshman Rex Turner. “That hurts a little bit, but two isn’t bad.”

A windy Sunday got off to a promising start thanks to Smith, who made his first start since March 25 and only his third of the season. He allowed a hit in six of the seven innings, but was backed by errorless defense and a pair of double plays.

Smith mixed his fastball and his slider effectively and exhibited outstanding control before tiring in the seventh. He struck out four and walked three, throwing 94 pitches.

“Ryan Smith may have gotten us the most significant win we needed, because the split keeps us above the .500 mark in our conference,” said Winkin, who decided to start Smith, “because he throws strikes. I was looking for experience and a pitcher who would throw strikes against that kind of team. He’s obviously the shining light of the weekend.”

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Sunday’s first game, snapping Vermont righthander Jerry Lynde’s streak of scoreless innings at 27 2/3.

Mat Huff walked with one out, took second on a balk and advanced on Tony Bianchi’s infield single. Steve Puleo followed with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Maine picked up two runs in the second with Keith Croteau getting an RBI groundout and T.J. Sheedy a run-producing infield hit. The hosts tacked on two more in the third on Steve Lancaster’s bases-loaded walk and Turner’s sac fly.

“You get a lead and all you want to do is throw strikes and make them put it in play,” said Smith, who has been Maine’s setup man. “The defense played excellent. On a (windy) day like that, nobody’s going to hit the ball out of the park unless they hit it pretty good. My fastball, the way I throw it, the wind helped drive it down more. I got a lot of ground balls (12).”

Turner had a run-producing single in the fifth for Maine. Bianchi doubled and singled.

In Sunday’s finale, Vermont scored two unearned runs to break a scoreless tie in the fourth. Brendan Burke reached on a throwing error by Nick Caiazzo at third, then Heath Squires drilled an RBI double to the gap in left-center.

That was all Herrington would need, although he pitched out of trouble in each of the last four innings. He struck out five and walked one, throwing 92 pitches.

Pinch hitter Shiro Ando lined into a double play to end the fifth, then Herrington fanned Puleo with two on to end the sixth, snapping Puleo’s 16-game hitting streak.

Vermont added two runs in the seventh off reliever Garrett Quinn.

The Bears could have swept Saturday, but they frittered away the opener, making two costly errors in the seventh inning.

Maine had taken a 4-2 lead into the seventh, but Squires reached on an error by Caiazzo at third, then Barlow got aboard on a fielder’s choice when second baseman Ando threw wide of second trying to get the force.

Dalyn Drown made it 4-3 with an RBI double to center and Dana Forsberg tied it with a sacrifice fly to left. LeRoy Decker walked Scott O’Brien, then Seth Berliner plated the game-winner with a safety squeeze bunt.

Bianchi stroked three hits, two of them doubles, and knocked in two runs for the Bears. Caiazzo hit a solo home run and Puleo rapped a run-scoring double.

Maine came back to win Game 2, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead.

Catamounts 4, Bears 0

(Sunday’s Second Game)

Vermont Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Henry, 3b 3 1 1 0 Sheedy, cf 3 0 1 0

Berliner, ss 4 0 0 0 Huff, rf 2 0 0 0

Barlow, cf 3 1 2 1 a-Longo 1 0 1 0

Drown, c 4 0 1 0 b-R. Coombs 0 0 0 0

Forsberg, 1b 3 0 1 1 Jolliffe, 1b 0 0 0 0

Burke, dh 3 1 0 0 Bianchi, 1b-rf 3 0 0 0

Squires, rf 3 1 1 1 Puleo, c 3 0 0 0

Pace, lf 2 0 0 1 Caiazzo, 3b 2 0 1 0

Bryant, 2b 3 0 0 0 Lancaster, dh 3 0 0 0

Turner, lf 3 0 2 0

Halsted, 2b 1 0 0 0

Ando, 2b 2 0 0 0

Croteau, ss 2 0 0 0

c-S. Coombs 1 0 0 0

Totals 28 4 6 4 Totals 26 0 5 0

a – singled for Huff in the sixth

b – ran for Longo in the sixth

c – reached on fielder’s choice for Croteau in the seventh

Vermont 000 200 2 – 4

Maine 000 000 0 – 0

E – Herrington, Bryant; Halsted, Croteau 2, Caiazzo 2B – Squires; Turner LOB – Vermont 8, Maine 6 DP – Bryant to Berliner; Caiazzo to Halsted to Bianchi SB – Henry 2, Forsberg, Barlow SF – Pace

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Vermont

Herrington (W,4-0) 7 5 0 0 1 5

Maine

Hanning (L,1-5) 5 4 2 0 2 5

Quinn 2 2 2 2 0 1

HBP – Burke, Henry (by Quinn) TIME -1:48

Bears 6, Catamounts 0

(Sunday’s First Game)

Vermont Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Henry, 3b 4 0 0 0 Sheedy, cf 3 0 1 1

Squires, rf 3 0 0 0 Huff, rf 3 1 0 0

Barlow, cf 3 0 2 0 Bianchi, 1b 2 1 2 0

Drown, c 3 0 1 0 Jolliffe, 1b 2 0 0 0

Burke, c 0 0 0 0 Puleo, c 2 2 1 1

Forsberg, 1b 3 0 2 0 Caiazzo, 3b 2 0 1 0

O’Brien, dh 2 0 0 0 Lancaster, dh 1 0 1 1

Berliner, ss 2 0 0 0 a-Ellis 1 0 0 0

Pace, lf 3 0 1 0 Turner, lf 2 1 1 2

Bryant, 2b 3 0 1 0 Halsted, 2b 3 1 1 0

Croteau, ss 3 0 0 1

Totals 26 0 7 0 Totals 24 6 8 6

a – popped out to shortstop for Lancaster in the fifth

Vermont 000 000 0 – 0

Maine 122 010 x – 6

E – Walker, Henry 2B – Bianchi LOB – Vermont 9, Maine 6 DP – Bianchi to Croteau, Caiazzo to Halsted to Jolliffe SF – Turner, Puleo

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Vermont

Lynde (L,4-2) 2 2/3 5 5 3 3 0

Somerset 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1

Blake 1 3 1 1 0 0

Walker 1 0 0 0 1 0

Maine

Smith (W,1-2) 7 7 0 0 2 3

WP – Lynde, Blake BK – Lynde 2 TIME -1:59

Bears 6, Catamounts 4

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Vermont Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Henry, 3b 3 0 0 0 Sheedy, cf 3 2 2 1

Squires, rf 4 0 0 0 Lancaster, rf 3 0 2 3

Barlow, cf 4 1 1 0 Bianchi, 1b 2 0 1 0

Drown, c 3 1 0 0 Puleo, c 3 1 2 0

Forsberg, 1b 3 1 2 1 Ellis, dh 3 0 1 0

Burke, dh 2 1 2 2 Caiazzo, 3b 2 1 0 1

Berliner, ss 3 0 0 0 Turner, lf 2 1 1 0

vandrBogert,lf 2 0 0 0 Halsted, 2b 2 0 0 0

Bryant, 2b 2 0 2 1 Ando, 2b 1 0 0 0

Croteau, ss 2 1 0 0

Totals 26 4 7 4 Totals 23 6 9 5

Vermont 000 400 0 – 4

Maine 141 000 x – 6

E – Bryant, O’Brien 2B – Forsberg 2, Bryant; Ellis 3B – Sheedy LOB – Vermont 7, Maine 4 DP – Squires to Bryant to Berliner, Berliner to Bryant to Forsberg; Halsted to Croteau to Bianchi S – Bryant; Bianchi SF – Caiazzo

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Vermont

O’Brien (L,3-4) 5 2/3 9 6 2 3 6

Nelson 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Maine

Coombs 3 2/3 7 4 4 1 2

Wickett (W,2-1) 2 1/3 0 0 0 1 1

Bogardus (S,1) 1 0 0 0 0 2

HBP – Henry (by Coombs); Burke, van der Bogert (by Wickett) WP – O’Brien; Coombs 2 TIME -1:59

Catamounts 5, Bears 4

(Saturday’s First Game)

Vermont Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Henry, 3b 4 0 0 0 Huff, rf 4 1 1 0

Squires, rf 4 1 0 0 Sheedy, cf 3 2 0 0

Barlow, cf 4 1 0 0 Bianchi, dh 4 0 3 2

Drown, c 4 1 1 1 Puleo, c 4 0 1 1

Forsberg, 1b 2 2 1 0 Longo, 1b 3 0 0 0

O’Brien, dh 2 0 1 1 Jolliffe, 1b 0 0 0 0

Berliner, ss 1 0 1 2 c-Lancaster 1 0 1 0

vandrBogert,lf 4 0 1 1 Caiazzo, 3b 4 1 1 1

Heid, 2b 1 0 0 0 Ando, 2b 3 0 1 0

a-Burke 0 0 0 0 Turner, lf 3 0 0 0

b-Bryant 0 0 0 0

Totals 26 5 5 5 Totals 32 4 9 4

a – walked for Heid in the sixth

b – ran for Burke in the sixth

c – singled for Jolliffe in the seventh

Vermont 010 100 3 – 5

Maine 111 010 0 – 4

E – Berliner, Heid; Ando, Caiazzo 2B – Drown, O’Brien; Bianchi 2, Puleo, Ando HR – Caiazzo (9) LOB – Vermont 9, Maine 8 S – Berliner SF – Forsberg

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Vermont

Cooper (W,7-1) 7 9 4 3 1 4

Maine

Decker (L,2-5) 7 5 5 2 5 9

HBP – Heid, Berliner (by Decker) TIME -1:56