It's hard to believe that one month ago, the Oneonta Tigers held a 3 1/2-game lead in the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division.
In a collapse as sudden as it was complete, the O-Tigers were eliminated from playoff consideration Wednesday with a 13-0 loss to the Lowell Spinners in the first game of a doubleheader before an announced 423 fans at Damaschke Field.
Oneonta also the lost, 6-2, in the second game to Lowell, which won the Stedler Division for the second consecutive season.
The doubleheader sweep made it three straight losses for Oneonta, which has dropped 11 of its last 12 games. The Tigers (34-36) trail the Spinners (42-29) by 7 1/2 games with four games left.
Following a doubleheader split at Tri-City on Aug. 3, the Tigers' record stood at 26-17 _ 3 1/2 games clear of the Spinners, who were 23-21 at the time. Since then, Oneonta has gone 7-19 and Lowell has gone 19-8.
The Tigers and Spinners were tied atop the Stedler Division after Oneonta swept a three-game series from visiting Williamsport that was capped by a 3-2 victory Aug. 21. Oneonta was 32-25 and Lowell was 33-26.
The Spinners took the division lead for keeps with a 5-2 victory over Oneonta the following night. They beat the Tigers the next night, 12-2, losses that started a season-long eight-game skid for Oneonta.
Over their last 12 games, Oneonta has been outscored, 71-15, and, 29-2, over its last three games. The Tigers haven't exceeded three runs during over their last dozen games and have been shut out four times.
Lowell wasted no time in Wednesday's first game, scoring 11 times on 12 hits over the first two innings off Oneonta starter Jose Siso (0-3).
Third baseman Wade Gaynor (throwing) and right fielder Michael Rockett (fielding) made errors during Lowell's five-run first inning.
Wilfred Pichardo singled to lead off and stole second. Pichardo scored on Derrik Gibson's infield single to third and advanced to second on Gaynor's throwing error. Christopher McGuiness' infield single to first scored Gibson to make it 2-0.
Michael Almanzar followed with a run-scoring triple to center.
After Drew Hedman popped out to third and Alex Hassan walked, Ronald Bermudez singled to right to score Almanzar. Hassan went to third on Rockett's fielding error.
Kenneth Roque capped the scoring on an RBI single to left.
Doubles by McGuiness, Almanzar and Chia-Chu Chen helped Lowell to six more runs in the second, when the Spinners had six hits and drew two walks off Siso.
Jamie Johnson had two of Oneonta's five hits off winning pitcher Jose Alvarez (8-3), who lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.52 with his second shutout of the season. Alvarez struck out six and walked one.
In the second game, the Tigers finished with three hits off four Lowell pitchers.
Oneonta did end a streak of 20 consecutive scoreless innings in the second game. Matthew Mansilla's RBI single in the seventh inning Monday scored the final run of the Tigers' 3-1 victory over visiting Hudson Valley on Monday.
Oneonta lost the following night, 10-0, to Hudson Valley before the 13-0 loss to Lowell in the first game Wednesday.
Finally, in the fourth inning of the second game, Oneonta scored twice off reliever Alex Wilson.
Rockett and Alexis Espinoza had back-to-back singles with one out, the latter moving Rockett to third. Rockett and Espinoza then executed a double-steal, with Rockett scoring to cut the Tigers' deficit to 3-1. Espinoza advanced to third on catcher Christian Vazquez's throwing error and scored Eric Roof's groundout to first.
But Lowell answered with three runs in the top of the fifth off Mike LaLuna.
LaLuna hit McGuiness with a pitch with one out. William Holmes then singled to right to send McGuiness to second. Drew Hedman's double to center scored McGuiness and sent Holmes to third. Both runners scored on Hassan's triple to center to make it 6-2.
Johnson's two-out triple in the third inning accounted for Oneonta's other hit.
The Tigers close out their home schedule at 7:05 tonight against Lowell. They finish the season with three games at Hudson Valley, beginning Friday.
Lowell begins play in the NY-P playoffs Tuesday.
Spinners 13, O-Tigers 0
{"Sports agate MLB teams"/}First game, seven innings
lowelloneonta
{"Sports agate MLB batting"/}abrhbiabrhbi
{"Sports agate body text"/}Pichardo lf5122Johnson cf3020
Gibson ss3330Jaime ss3000
McGuiness 1b5231Murrian c1000
Almanzar 3b4321Roof c2010
Hedman dh4013Espinoza dh3010
Hassan rf4111Rockett rf3000
Bermudez cf5121Gaynor 3b2000
Roque 2b4131Gulliver pr0000
Chen c4112Mansilla lf2000
Luis ss5121Sedon 2b3000
Totals38131812Totals32050
{"Sports agate MLB 9inning"/}Lowell5611000""13
Oneonta0000000"" 0
E""Gaynor (7). Rockett (5) DP""Lowell 1, Oneonta 1. LOB""Lowell 10, Oneonta 6. 2B""McGuiness (16), Almanzar (7), Chen (3), Pichardo (14), Hassan (5), Hedman (16),. 3B""Almanzar (2).
{"Sports agate body text"/}OneontaIPHRERBBSO
Alvarez (W, 8-3)7.050016
{"Sports agate MLB pitching"/}Lowell
{"Sports agate body text"/}Siso (L, 0-3)1.212111131
Hess, K 3.152221
Ortega, J 2.010012
HBP""Gaynor (Alvarez). Umpires""Home, Jose Esteres; Field, Derek Mollica. T""2:08. A""418.
