ONEONTA _ Just when things started to look up for the Oneonta Tigers on Wednesday, they went sour.
The Jamestown Jammers took advantage of three walks during a four-run sixth inning en route to a 12-5 New York-Penn League victory over the O-Tigers in front of an announced crowd of 696 at Damaschke Field.
Oneonta (26-19) lost its second straight to the Jammers (18-29), who entered Wednesday tied for last in the Pinckney Division with Auburn.
"We put up almost as many hits as they did, it's just they got the key hits at the right time with the right guys on base and we spread ours out," Oneonta center fielder Jamie Johnson said. "It wasn't the best night for us."
The O-Tigers remained in first place in the Stedler Division, but saw their lead shrink to 1 1/2 games over Lowell, which beat Hudson Valley, 6-3. Vermont (23-23) trails by 3 1/2 games after a 14-7 win at Auburn.
Oneonta finishes a three-game set with Jamestown at 7:05 tonight. The O-Tigers then host Staten Island (26-21) for three games, beginning at 7:05 p.m. Friday.
Luis Sanz (2-2, 3.74 ERA) is set to pitch tonight for Oneonta.
"We need a stand-up performance on the mound," O-Tigers manager Howard Bushong said. "We have the guy we would want to be out there (tonight) in Sanz. We'll see if that helps. We also have to make the plays and we also have to swing the bats. We have to keep swinging the bats. Sometimes you have to outscore them.
"... We're in a funk. We've been in a funk before and we bounced out of it and we've come back and played real well," he said. "Hopefully, we can get out of this thing pretty quick because it doesn't do anything but get tougher. Our schedule is brutal from here on out."
Oneonta seemed well on its way to outscoring Jamestown on Wednesday.
Trailing, 3-2, entering the fifth inning, Oneonta's offense came to life.
Jamie Johnson led off with an opposite-field triple to left and scored when Michael Rockett grounded out to first, tying the score at 3.
After Rawley Bishop popped out to shortstop, John Murrian followed with a triple to center. Alexis Espinoza then hit Oneonta's third triple of the inning _ this one going to right-center _ scoring Murrian for a 4-3 Oneonta lead. Jamestown avoided further trouble when relief pitcher Joseph O'Gara came in and struck out Wade Gaynor swinging to end the inning.
Things quickly unraveled for Oneonta in the top of the sixth.
Starting pitcher Jose Diaz walked Chase Austin to lead off the inning. That prompted Bushong to call for Jose Ortega, who got Kyle Jensen to bounce out to second as Austin moved to second.
Ricky Orton then walked to put runners on first and second. Dustin Dickerson followed with a roller between first and second. First baseman Bishop made the grab as he ran toward second, turned and threw to Ortega covering, but Ortega dropped the ball and was charged with an error to load the bases.
"We got our tails whipped," Bushong said. "... We take the lead and that's when the walk parade starts and that's inexcusable. That's just totally inexcusable. We just got done working on pitcher's covering first base today and we drop a ball. We gave it away."
Chris Wade reached on a soft single to left, scoring Austin to tie it at 4 and the bases remained loaded. After Orton scored on a wild pitch from Ortega for a 5-4 lead, Robert Taylor lined a single to left, scoring Dickerson and Wade to make it 7-4.
"This is a big ballpark," Taylor said. "Both teams ran into some balls that were out over the plate and when you run into mistakes like that, (hits are) going to happen, especially in a ballpark like this.
"I was looking at the scoreboard throughout the game and the Tigers at one point had like nine hits to our five and we had a few more runs," he said. "They have been pitching well and obviously their record shows it. They got a little unlucky tonight and put a few guys on and we got some hits."
Jamestown scored two more in the seventh on back-to-back triples from Jensen and Orton and an RBI groundout from Dickerson.
Oneonta got its final run in the seventh on an RBI single from Gaynor.
Zach Moore had an RBI single and Taylor a two-run single to close the scoring for Jamestown in the ninth.
The teams combined for six triples.
Johnson and John Murrian each had three hits for Oneonta and both fell a home run short of a cycle.
Ortega (2-3) suffered the loss for the O-Tigers.
"We should have had a shot (tonight), no doubt," Bushong said. "Our pitching was poor. There's no question about that and I'm not denying that. ... Tonight was embarrassing, in my opinion. Hopefully, things bounce back. That's the great thing about pro ball. You bounce it back and play it again tomorrow. Hopefully, we can turn things around. We'll find out."
jammers 12, O-Tigers 5
JamestownOneonta
{"Sports agate MLB batting"/}abrhbiabrhbi
{"Sports agate body text"/}Kanaby cf5000Johnson cf4130
Austin 3b4321Rocket lf5001
Jensen rf5120Bishop 1b4210
Orton 1b4211Murrian dh5131
Dickrson lf4101Espinoza rf4011
Moore rf1111Gaynor 3b5121
Wade ss4311Roof c3000
Taylor dh4124Placios 2b3000
Torres 2b5020Jaime ss4011
Paulino c3012
Totals43121211Totals375115
{"Sports agate MLB 9inning"/}Jamestown120004203""12
Oneonta011020100""5
{"Sports agate bat stax"/}E""Ortega (1), Jaime (5). DP""Jamestown 1, Oneonta 2. LOB""Jamestown 6, Oneonta 10. 2B""Murrian (10), Johnson (7). 3B_Paulino (1), Jensen (4), Orton (1) Johsnon (4), Murrian (2), Espinoza (5). HR""Austin (2). SB""Paulino (1), Taylor (3).
{"Sports agate body text"/}JamestownIPHRERBBSO
Roberts, J 4.284414
O'Gara (W, 2-3)3.131122
Ramos, A 110002
{"Sports agate MLB pitching"/}Oneonta
{"Sports agate body text"/}Diaz, Jo534431
Ortega, J (BS, 2)(L, 1-1)123220
LaLuna 375311
WP""Ortega HBP""Palacios, Espinoza. Umpires""Home, Jose Rivera; Field, Brian Debraywere. T""2:49. A""696.
___
P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.
