After taking three steps forward, the Oneonta Tigers took two steps back.
The Lowell Spinners swept a two-game series against visiting Oneonta over the weekend to take a two-game lead on the Tigers in the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division.
Oneonta fell, 5-2, on Saturday before suffering a 12-2 rout by the Spinners on Sunday.
The Tigers (32-27) followed last week's NY-Penn All-Star break with a three-game sweep of the Williamsport Crosscutters to force a tie atop the Stedler with Lowell (35-26).
Oneonta visits the Staten Island Yankees (34-26) for a series that starts at 7 tonight. The two teams will play three full games after completing one that was suspended by rain Aug. 9 at Damaschke Field. That game will resume with the score tied at 6 in the bottom of the 11th and Oneonta's Rawley Bishop batting with runners at first and second and none out.
Eric Knighton, the Tigers assistant general manager, said tonight's regularly scheduled game is slated for seven innings. Luis Sanz (5-2, 2.79 ERA) will start tonight's regularly scheduled game for Oneonta. Sanz has thrown two straight complete games _ a seven-inning, 10-1 victory at State College on Aug. 13 and a nine-inning, 2-0 home win over Williamsport on Wednesday. He has not allowed a run in his last 14 innings.
Nathan Newman (2-1, 2.79) will start for on Tuesday, followed by Clemente Mendoza (4-3, 3.04) on Wednesday.
Staten Island is second in the McNamara Division _ five games behind the Brooklyn Cyclones (40-22) _ and holds a 1 1/2-game edge on the Tigers in the NY-Penn's wild-card standings. The three division winners (McNamara, Pinckney and Stedler) and one wild-card team will advance to the playoffs, which will follow the last game of the regular season Sept. 6.
Mahoning Valley (40-22) leads the Pinckney Division by seven games over Williamsport (33-29), which is two games behind in the wild-card chase.
SUNDAY'S GAME
Spinners 12, Tigers 2
Lowell took control with a four-run first inning off losing pitcher Jose Diaz (0-2), who failed to get an out.
Diaz walked three and gave up an RBI single to Ryan Westmoreland and an RBI double to Michael Almanzar. He left with the bases loaded.
Reliever Kevan Hess then allowed a sacrifice fly to Daniel Butler and an RBI single to Joantoni Garcia as the Spinners took a 4-0 lead. Lowell then scored five runs against Hess over the next two innings. Hess gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out three.
Oneonta scored in the fifth, after winning pitcher Jose Alvarez (7-3) hit leadoff batter Wade Gaynor. Carmelo Jaime followed with an RBI triple to center, cutting Oneonta's deficit to 9-1.
Lowell responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Drew Hedman.
Matt Mansilla scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Bishop to cap the scoring in the eighth.
Jaime finished with two of Oneonta's three hits. Espinoza had the other one.
SATURDAY'S GAME
Spinners 5, Tigers 2
Wilfredo Pichardo and Joantoni Garcia each had two hits and two RBIs to lead host Lowell, which scored one run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead.
Oneonta pulled to 3-2 on back-to-back RBI doubles from Bishop and John Murrian, but Lowell padded its lead in the eighth with a two-run double from Joantoni Garcia.
Brooklyn no-hitter
Brooklyn's Brandon Moore threw a seven-inning no-hitter Sunday in a 1-0 victory at Aberdeen in the opening game of a doubleheader. Moore (6-2, 2.15 ERA) struck out six and walked three.
Sunday's game marked Moore's first outing since a no-decision Aug. 11, when he pitched 7 2/3 innings in a 4-2 victory at Mahoning Valley. The Cyclones won the second game against Aberdeen, 5-1.
Moore hasn't faced Oneonta this season, but Brooklyn visits Damaschke Field for a three-game series from Thursday through Saturday.
SPinners 12, O-Tigers 2
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E""Almanzar (12). LOB""Oneonta 5, Lowell 7. 2B""Almanzar (4), Pichardo (10), Westmoreland (13), Hedman (11). 3B""Jaime (3). SF""Bulter. SB""Pichardo (23).
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Diaz pitched to 5 batters in the 1st.
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Spinners 5, O-Tigers 2
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DP""Oneotna 2. LOB""Oneonta 4, Lowell 11. 2B""Bishop (15), Murrian (15), Garcia 2 (12), Bermudez (7). 3B""Westmoreland (3). SB""Pichardo 2 (23).
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