Down two strikes in the eighth inning with men on first and second, Gardner helped Dartmouth (20-11, 14-2 Ivy) take an 11-10 lead from which UVM (10-22, 3-5 America East) would not recover.
Dartmouth entered the eighth inning trailing Vermont 10-9, and then tied the game at 10 off of singles from Jake Carlson '12 and Ray Allen '09.
After leading for most of the game, the Big Green was forced to manufacture a comeback after pitcher Max Langford '12 gave up four runs in the seventh inning. Dartmouth, however, was able to keep its composure to score seven runs in the last three innings of the game.
"This is one of the most relaxed teams I've been a part of," Langford said. "There is never really a panic in the dugout -- there is a confidence that someone is going to step up and get a big hit. It's almost expected that we are going to win."
Langford, despite giving up Dartmouth's lead in the seventh, earned the win and has now compiled an ERA of 10.27 after seven appearances.
Big Green starter Colin Britton '11 struck out eight in his six-inning outing, giving up six runs and seven hits. He now has an ERA of 5.85 and is 2-2 so far on the season.
"We got a good start out of Britton," co-captain Robert Young '10 said after the game. "He threw well, though he had one inning in the fifth where he struggled a bit, and they tied it up."
Dartmouth entered the fifth inning with a 6-1 lead and left the inning tied with UVM at 6-6. The Catamounts mounted this run with a flurry of hits off of Britton, and a Dartmouth fielding error. The Catamounts did not leave any men on base in the fifth.
In the top of the seventh, Big Green batting powerhouse Nick Santomauro '10 stepped up and blasted a pinch-hit three-run home run over the right-center fence, putting the Big Green up 9-6. Santomauro's hit turned the momentum around.
"[Santomauro] is just a good hitter," Young said. "UVM had a lot of momentum after tying the game up. He went in there with a couple of runners on, and they had two strikes on him. He got a hold of one and gave us the momentum right back."
Leading the team with a batting average of .395, Santomauro is also the Big Green slugger with the most hits and RBIs.
Santomauro's efforts, however, were stunted by the Catamounts' seventh-inning surge, before Gardner again gave the lead to the Big Green.
Last time these two teams faced each other, on April 16, Dartmouth also notched 13 runs.
Britton also started against UVM in that game, giving up two earned runs but only striking out one to earn the win.
Tuesday marked the fourth game in a row in which the Big Green has posted a double-digit score. Just last weekend, Yale (12-20, 6-10 Ivy) fell to the Big Green three times with scores of 12-9, 13-2 and 17-8.
Young attributed the Big Green's high-scoring offense to a steady sense of confidence and a wake-up call from the 4-1 loss to Yale that started off last weekend's games.
"We have been putting up big numbers since we came back from California," he said. "We got on a roll and that first game against Yale, the pitcher did a tremendous job and three-hit us. That kind of woke everyone up -- our hitters shook their heads. That woke up a sleeping giant."
Dartmouth has won 19 of its last 21 games. First baseman Mike Pagliarulo '09 was recently named the Ivy League Player of the Week -- the third Big Green player to be awarded the title so far this season.
"We are in first place, and we are obviously doing something right," Young said. "It's a statement and testament to how well we are playing."
The race for the Red Rolfe division title continues this weekend, led by Dartmouth and Brown (18-15-1, 12-4 Ivy). The Big Green will play four games against Harvard (10-26, 8-8 Ivy) in doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday in Hanover.
The first game of each doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.
Brown will face Yale in four games this weekend as well. Brown currently trails Dartmouth by two games in the contest for the division title.
If the Big Green takes at least three games from the Crimson, Dartmouth will clinch the title and earn an automatic bid to the Ivy Championship. Two Big Green victories combined with at least one Brown loss to Yale would also allow Dartmouth to clinch that spot.
The Big Green sluggers recognize the importance of playing clean baseball against Harvard, Young said.
"We need a hard week of practice," he said. "We've been a little sloppy defensively. It happened a little bit against UVM -- we had four errors that led to a few runs. We can't give Harvard any extra chances."
