Brian Tedder/Collegian

Brian Tedder/Collegian

Nick Serino and the Massachusetts baseball team averted damage in the first inning last night against Vermont.

The same can’t be said about the second inning – or the seventh.

After leaving the bases loaded in the opening frame, the Catamounts teed off on UMass pitching to the tune of seven runs in the next inning and six more in the seventh, cruising to a 17-4 victory at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vt.

UMass left the bases loaded in a crucial situation, failing to score despite loading the bases with no outs in the seventh inning, trailing 9-4. After two walks and single, three consecutive Minutemen were retired by two different Vermont pitchers to quell the rally and remain down five runs.

Then the Catamounts tacked on six more runs in the bottom of the inning to totally pull away from the Minutemen. It could have been worse, as Vermont left the bases loaded with one out. The Catamounts (20-17, 6-6 America East) had baserunners all over the place, finishing the game with 19 hits, 13 walks and 16 runners left on base.

UMass (14-20, 7-11 Atlantic 10) entered the game on a two-game winning streak, having taken the final two games of the series last weekend against conference foe, Saint Joseph’s. But last night the pitching wasn’t there, as the first three pitchers for UMass (Serino, Freni and Nathan Monroy) all allowed at least four runs.

Serino, a freshman left-hander, entered the game with a team-leading 3.45 ERA, but that would go up as he had little command against Vermont. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, four walks and five runs to boost his ERA up to 4.69. Jared Freni replaced him in the second inning, allowing two more runs to score. He gave up four runs total in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Vermont’s Eric Thompson pitched two shutout innings to earn his fourth victory of the season, as starter Kyle Henry lasted just three innings. Serino took the loss to move to 2-3 this season.

After Serino struck out Ethan Paquette to end the bases-loaded threat in the first, he ran into serious trouble early in the second. He started the inning with two straight walks and then three of the next four batters recorded base hits to take an early 4-0 lead – capped by a three-run double by designated hitter Justin Milo.

Freni replaced Serino and walked the first batter and hit the second. He then struck out Paquette, but he walked in a run to Jeff Nolet and two more scored on a single by Todd Allen.

In the seventh, Vermont scored six runs on six hits and three walks; all the runs were charged to Monroy.

UMass returns to action on Friday for the start of a three-game set against Dayton at Earl Lorden Field.

Game notes

Milo had five RBIs, despite having only one hit – which wasn’t even a home run. Milo had a three-run double in the second inning, drove in a run on a groundout and another on a bases-loaded walk