Luis Palacios hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the first game and Eric Roof contributed a grand slam in the second game to lead the Oneonta Tigers to a New York-Penn League sweep Saturday at Tri-City.
Palacios' homer _ his first of the season _ capped a three-run ninth inning as Oneonta won the first game, 5-2. Roof's grand slam _ his second of the season _ highlighted a five-run third inning in the Tigers' 8-1 victory in the second game.
Oneonta (25-15) took a four-game lead over second-place Lowell in the Stedler Division standings.
In the first game, Michael Rockett's third homer this season, a shot to left with one out in the sixth inning, tied the score at 1 in the scheduled seven-inning game.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the eighth, when Palacios singled to left to lead off, went to second on a sacrifice by Carmelo Jaime and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Jhonny Medrano that allowed Rawley Bishop to reach base with two outs.
Tri-City tied it in the bottom of the inning.
Jacob Goebbert singled to center off Kenny Faulk to start the ValleyCats' at-bats.
After an out, Erik Castro reached on a fielding error by left fielder Rockett as pinch-runner Ben Orloff scored the tying run.
Oneonta's ninth started when another Medrano throwing error allowed Wade Gaynor to reach second. Gaynor went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Keith Hernandez's single to right. Palacios followed with his homer to left off losing pitcher James MacDonald.
Faulk pitched a scoreless ninth to improve to 1-1.
Rockett went 4-for-4 in the second game to lead a 13-hit attack and raise his batting average to .346.
John Murrian's RBI single to left scored Rockett with the game's first run in the first inning. It stayed that way until the third, when Rockett and Rawley Bishop led off with singles to left.
Losing pitcher Douglas Arguello's wild pitch moved the runners up a base before Murrian walked to load the bases. Gaynor then singled off reliever Max Fearnow to score Rockett to make it 2-0.
Roof then hit his grand slam to right-center to make it 6-0.
Bishop's RBI double in the fourth increased Oneonta's lead to 7-0 and Jamie Johnson's RBI double in the sixth gave the Tigers an 8-0 lead.
Bishop had three hits and Roof finished with two.
Winning pitcher Mike LaLuna (2-3) allowed two hits over five scoreless innings.
He struck out four and walked four. Michael Torrealba threw the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits.
O-Tigers 5, Valleycats 2
{"Sports agate MLB teams"/}Saturday's First Game
ONEONTATRI-CIty
{"Sports agate MLB batting"/}abrhbiabrhbi
{"Sports agate body text"/}Johnson cf3000Kemp cf2000
Rockett lf5111Buterar 2b3000
Bishop 1b5010Goebbert lf3010
Murrian c3010Orloff pr0100
Espinoza rf4000Stanley 1b0000
Gaynor 3b4100Martinez dh4021
Hrnndez dh4121Castro 1b4000
Palacios 2b4222Barksdle pr0000
Jaime ss3000Medrano 3b4010
Dixon rf4000
Garcia c4010
De Leon ss3100
Totals35574Totals31251
{"Sports agate MLB 9inning"/}Oneonta000001013""5
Vermont000010010""2
{"Sports agate bat stax"/}E""Rockett (3), Medrano 2 (14). DP""Oneonta 1. LOB""Oneonta 7, Tri-City 9. 2B""Murrian (9), Hernandez (5), Martinez (7). HR""Rockett (3), Palacios (1). S""Jaime, Kemp. SB""Johnson (5), Kemp (6).
{"Sports agate body text"/}OneontaIPHRERBBSO
Sanz 741134
Faulk, BS,1, W-1-1211012
Pitkin L, 0-1642217
{"Sports agate MLB pitching"/}Tri-City
{"Sports agate body text"/}Keuchel 741104
Modica¤11010
MacDonald, L,1-1123211
Donovanª00010
WP""MacDonald. HBP""Kemp (by Sanz), Goebbert (by Sanz). Umpires""Home, Brett Houseman; Field, Nick Lentz. T""2:33. A""5,518.
O-Tigers 8, Valleycats 1
{"Sports agate MLB teams"/}Saturday's Second Game
ONEONTATRI-CIty
{"Sports agate MLB batting"/}abrhbiabrhbi
{"Sports agate body text"/}Johnson cf4011Tello cf3000
Rockett rf4340Butera ss3000
Bishop 1b4131Medrano dh2100
Murrian dh3111Martinez lf3021
Gaynor 3b4111Castro 3b3000
Roof c4124Gonzalex c2000
Mansilla lf4010Brksdale rf3010
Sedon 2b4010Stanley 1b2010
Gulliver ss4000Orloff 2b2010
Totals338138Totals23141
{"Sports agate MLB 9inning"/}Oneonta1051010""8
Vermont0000010""1
{"Sports agate bat stax"/}DP""Oneonta 2, Tri-City 1. LOB""Oneonta 6, Tri-City 6. 2B""Bishop (9), Johnson (4), Barksdale (3). HR""Roof (2). SB""Mansilla (1).
{"Sports agate body text"/}OneontaIPHRERBBSO
LaLuna, W,2-3520044
Torrealba221112
{"Sports agate MLB pitching"/}Tri-City
{"Sports agate body text"/}Arguello, L,0-1264412
Fearnow343301
Sansky231113
Arguello pitched to 3 batters in the 3rd.
WP""LaLuna, Torrealba, Arguello. Umpires""Home, Nick Lentz; Field, Brett Houseman. T""2:11. A""5,518.
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