Published: July 27, 2009 12:00 am      

O-Tigers split with T-C, maintain Stedler lead

Cory Hamilton and Michael Torrealba combined on a three-hitter Sunday as the Oneonta Tigers earned a 4-0 New York-Penn League victory over the visiting Tri-City ValleyCats in the first game of a doubleheader at Damaschke Field.

The ValleyCats (10-24), last in the Stedler Division, snapped a nine-game skid with a 9-1 defeat of the Tigers in the second game. Each game went seven innings.

Hamilton (3-1, 1.98 ERA) struck out three, walked two and allowed three hits in 6 1/3 innings. He took a perfect game into the fifth, when J.D. Martinez led off with a double to left field. Hamilton then walked Jacob Goebbert and allowed a one-out single to Nick Stanley that loaded the bases for Tri-City. Hamilton got out of the jam, though, by striking out Rene Garcia and getting Barry Butera on a comebacker.

Hamilton got the next four outs before Goebbert singled and Russell Dixon walked. Torrealba relieved with runners at first and second and got his first save this season when he struck out Stanley and Garcia to end it.

Luis Palacios sparked Stedler Division-leader Oneonta (20-14) in the third with a one-out triple to left field. He scored when the next hitter, Carmelo Jaime, singled to left.

Rawley Bishop then fueled a three-run Oneonta rally in the fourth, leading off with a double to left field. John Murrian, Alexis Espinoza and Wade Gaynor followed with consecutive singles _ the last two bringing in runs for a 3-0 lead. Jaime later capped the scoring with a two-out single that plated Espinoza.

Palacios and Jaime each finished 2-for-3 for the Tigers.

Tri-City's Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 2.16), who replaced starter Douglas Arguello at the beginning of the second inning, allowed four earned runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

In the second game, Tri-City took the early lead when Sean Barksdale hit a three-run homer to left field off losing pitcher Mike LaLuna with one out in the second inning. LaLuna (1-3, 3.94) also gave up a two-run triple to Pedro Gonzalez in the third. LaLuna gave up five earned runs on six hits and three walks in three innings. He also struck out three before Wade Kapteyn relieved at the start of the fourth.

The ValleyCats scored once in the fourth against Kapteyn, when Erik Castro drove in Butera with a sacrifice fly to left field for a 6-1 lead.

Sean Barksdale singled in Nick Stanley in the fifth before Butera reached on a fielding error by first baseman Rawley Bishop to load the bases and chase Kapteyn.

Oneonta reliever Michael Morrison then gave up a two-run double to his first batter, Renzo Tello, who drove in Gonzalez and Barksdale with a shot to right field. Kapteyn was charged with four earned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Winning pitcher Max Fearnow (1-1, 2.25) allowed one earned run on two hits in five innings. T-C reliever Antonio Noguera followed with two perfect innings.

Oneonta scored its run in the second, when Eric Roof drove in Gaynor with a double to center off Fearnow. Gaynor opened the Tigers' at-bats in the second by reaching base on a throwing error by second baseman Ben Orloff. Fearnow also allowed a two-out double to Rawley in the first inning.

The O-Tigers will host Stedler Division rival Vermont at 7:05 p.m. today and at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. Oneonta follows with a two-game set at the Lake Monsters on Wednesday and Thursday. The Tigers hold a two-game lead in the Stedler on Vermont and the Lowell Spinners, who are both 19-17.