SANFORD — Coming off their best win of the season — a thrilling 9-8 comeback victory over the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks on Saturday — Sanford Mainers head coach Cejay Suarez admitted his players seemed a little “emotionally hungover” in Monday’s game against the Vermont Mountaineers at Goodall Park in Sanford.

It also didn’t help that Vermont starting pitcher Christian Scafidi had his best stuff working all night.

Scafidi pitched five scoreless innings, striking out eight, and Kevin Brenning doubled and drove in three runs as the Mountaineers rolled to a 12-1 win over the Mainers in a NECBL baseball game. 

“We had a long day (Saturday) with an electric ending,” Suarez said. “And (the emotional effect) definitely carried over into today … Guys weren’t mentally in it tonight, but there’s always tomorrow.”

The Mountaineers got runs in the first and third innings off Sanford starter Trevor LaBonte, then sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run fourth to break the game open. Back-to-back RBI singles from JD DeSarcina and Sean Flaherty opened the floodgates. Brenning then drove in DeSarcina with a sacrifice fly to left field, Austin Gauthier followed with a single, scoring Flaherty, then Curtis Robinson rounded out the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Mountaineers ahead 7-0.

That was more than enough support for Scafidi, who allowed just four hits and one walk in an 84-pitch effort.

“I really had good control of my fastball today,” Scafidi said. “I was able to establish the outside corner with my fastball, and use my slider to get some swings and misses … I think I had all my pitches working for me today.”

The Mountaineers added a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Flaherty, and kept their foot on the pedal in the sixth, tacking on four more runs off of Sanford reliever Brennan Oxford. Vermont sent nine batters to the place in the frame. Flaherty and Evan Giordano each drew walks with the bases loaded before Brenning smacked a two-out, two-run double to left to make it 12-0.

“When you got a lineup like this behind you, and you start with a two or three-run lead, you can kind of start to relax,” said Scafidi. “If I give up a homerun, we still have a lead, so I’m able to go at batters more aggressively.”

Corey DiLoreto added three hits for Vermont.

Sanford (5-8) broke into the scoring column in the ninth when Brandon Lankford scored on a wild pitch. Connor Tate added a double in the eighth. 

SHOWING TOUGHNESS: Sanford catcher Ryan Turenne, who just finished his sophomore season at the University of Maine, had to be attended to twice by trainers during the game after taking multiple foul balls off both legs. Suarez said that Turenne, who had ice packs on both legs after the game, insisted on completing the contest.

“(Ryan’s) a tough kid,” Suarez said. “He’ll probably want to catch tomorrow, but I won’t let him … That says a lot about him.”

UP NEXT: The Mainers travel to Laconia, New Hampshire, to play the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (2-9) at 6:05 p.m. today.