SANFORD — Andrew Barnes picked up his first win of the season Monday, as the Mainers knocked off the Vermont Mountaineers for the third time in just over a week. 

Barnes would make his longest outing on the mound of the season count, as he went 5.1, giving up four hits and one run while fanning three. 

Sanford’s Colby Maiola would be plated once again in the third inning, scoring for the ninth time in six games to start the Mainers offense. A solo blast would make it his second in two games, as the Mainers would lead 1-0 after three. 

As Barnes continued to deal on the mound, Bryan Sturges would score on Justin Lavey’s first RBI of the season to push the lead to two. An injury to the third basemen would allow for Jimmy Kerr to enter the game, but he would get stranded at second after four complete. 

A Mountaineers solo home run would cut the lead in half in the sixth, but the Moose would add an insurance run in the seventh. After a Jimmy Kerr double, Connor Aube would push him to third with a single. A sacrifice fly by Ryland Kerr for the third run of the game, and after a stolen base by Aube, the Mainers would leave a run stranded. 

Neither team would get anything going in the eighth, and things would get interesting in the ninth. After allowing the first two base runners to reach and get into scoring position, Dalton Brown would be in danger of blowing the save opportunity. A Big one-out strikeout would put Vermont down to their last chance, and a two-strike breaking ball would get away from Sturges. As the baserunner at third tried to take home on the potential pass ball, Brown’s coverage at the plate and Sturges’ flip to the plate would end the game, as the tag would be applied with plenty of time. 

The Mainers would have fantastic bullpen outings from Ben Greenberg and Perez Knowles, who would go a combined 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Sanford is back at home Tuesday before having an off day Wednesday.