John Murrian snapped a tie with his third home run in as many games and Rawley Bishop extended his hitting streak to 16 games as the Oneonta Tigers earned a 3-1 New York-Penn League victory at the Vermont Lake Monsters in the opening game of a Thursday doubleheader.
Vermont won the second game, 2-1. Bishop went 0-for-2 in that game as his hitting streak ended.
The Tigers have a three-game lead over the Lowell Spinners in the Stedler Division.
Oneonta (23-15) hosts the Tri-City ValleyCats at 7:05 tonight.
Murrian led off the fifth inning of Thursday's first game with a homer to left field off Vermont starter Jack McGeary (2-2, 2.62 ERA), giving Oneonta the lead for keeps, at 2-1.
Losing pitcher McGeary then walked Wade Gaynor, who took second on a wild pitch. Gary Amato (1.53) then relieved McGeary, who walked seven, struck out four and yielded three hits in four innings.
Amato got Keith Hernandez to ground out to shortstop, but Gaynor advanced to third. Amato then struck out Matthew Mansilla, but Carmelo Jaime reached base when second baseman Francisco Soriano misplayed his grounder. Gaynor scored the final run on the play.
Murrian homered in back-to-back Oneonta wins over Vermont at Damaschke Field earlier in the week. He finished a triple shy of a cycle in a 5-4 victory over the Lake Monsters on Monday, then ended Tuesday's 9-5 triumph with a walkoff grand slam.
The Tigers and Vermont were rained out Wednesday, setting up two seven-inning games Thursday.
Murrian's homer in the opener marked his fourth of the season.
Bishop extended his hitting streak _ the longest in the NY-Penn this season _ with a one-out single to center in the first. Bishop also singled with one out in the sixth and finished 2-for-3.
Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the second. Ronnie Labrie drew a one-out walk from Oneonta starter Gary Perinar (5.82), moved to second on a wild pitch and scored when Sandy Leon singled up the middle.
Oneonta tied it in the third without a hit. Christopher Sedon led off with a walk and, after Michael Rockett flew out to center, Bishop was hit by a pitch. McGeary then walked Murrian and Gaynor, the latter forcing in Sedon to tie it at 1.
Perinar allowed an earned run on three hits and four walks in three innings. Michael Morrison followed with three innings of one-hit ball, striking out four and walking none en route to his first pitching victory this season.
Morrison faced one over the minimum, allowing a two-out single to left by J.R. Higley in the sixth. Morrison's ERA remained at 0.00 as he has struck out eight, walked two and allowed three hits in 5 2/3 innings for the O-Tigers.
Vermont reliever Federico Tanco (2.51) struck out the side in order in the top of the seventh.
O-Tigers closer Kenny Faulk (3.78) then earned his eighth save, despite getting into a jam in the last of the seventh. He allowed a one-out single to Soriano and walked Sean Nicol, but struck out Ramirez and Destin Hood to end it.
O-Tigers 3, Lake Monsters 1
First game, seven innings
ONEONTAVERMONT
abrhbiabrhbi
Johnson cf3000Soriano 2b3010
Rockett rf3000Nicol ss3000
Bishop 1b3021Ramirez lf4000
Murrian dh3111Hood rf4010
Gaynor 3b2101Bloxom dh2010
Hrnndez c4000Walker 3b2000
Mansilla lf3010Higley cf3010
Jaime ss3000Labrie 1b2100
Sedon 2b1100Leon c3011
Totals25342Totals26151
Oneonta0010500""3
Vermont0100000""1
E""Mansilla (1), McGeary (1), Soriano (5). DP""Vermont 1. LOB""Oneonta 11, Vermont 9. HR""Murrian (4). S""Jaime.
OneontaIPHRERBBSO
Perinar331141
Morrison W,1-0310004
Faulk S,8110012
VermontIPHRERBBSO
McGeary L,2-2 433274
Amato 210013
Tanco100003
WP""Perinar, McGeary. HBP""Bishop (by McGeary). Umpires""Home, Garret Corl; Field, Robert Calvert. T""2:35.
LAKE MONSTERS 2, O-TIGERS 1
Thursday's second game
Seven innings
ONEONTAVERMONT
ab r h biab r h bi
Johnson cf1 0 0 0Sferra cf4 0 1 0
Mansilla lf2 0 0 0Nicol ss2 0 1 1
Rockett lf-cf3 0 1 0Ramirez dh3 0 1 0
Bishop 1b2 0 0 0Hood lf2 1 1 0
Murrian dh3 0 0 0Amar 1b3 0 0 0
Espinoza rf3 0 0 0Bloxom rf3 0 1 0
Gaynor 3b3 0 0 0Walker 3b2 0 0 1
Roof c2 0 1 0Killian c3 0 0 0
Jaime pr0 1 0 0Soriano 2b3 1 2 0
Hernandez c0 0 0 0
Palacios 2b3 0 2 1
Gulliver ss3 0 1 0
Totals25 1 5 1Totals25 2 7 2
Oneonta000 000 1 _ 1 5 0
Vermont000 100 1 _ 2 7 0
2B _ Palacios (4). LOB _ Oneonta 5, Vermont 6. DP _ Vermont 1. SF _ Walker. SB _ Soriano 2 (9).
OneontaIPHRERBBSO
Hess431124
LaLuna 100010
Kapteyn L,1-21 1-341102
VermontIPHRERBBSO
Lehman640001
Stewart BS,2; W,3-1111111
WP _ Hess. PB _ Roof (3).
HBP _ Bishop (by Lehman).
Umpires _ Home, Robert Calvert; Field, Garrett Corl.
T _ 2:06. A _ 3,011.
