08/24/06
After midnight, O-Tigers finish off Spinners
Earn split with 4-3 victory in 10 innings
By Brendan Connarton
Contributing Writer
ONEONTA — If a New York-Penn League playoff spot awaits for the Oneonta Tigers, they might look back on the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader as a turning point.
Only a smattering of fans from the announced 1,970 turnout at Damaschke Field were still around when Joe Tucker hit the winning single in the 10th inning that gave the O-Tigers a 4-3 victory over Lowell Spinners.
"To come back when it looked like we were out of it is a great win for us," O-Tigers manager Tom Brookens said of a victory that gave his 33-27 team a half-game lead over Brooklyn for the New York-Penn League wild-card spot. "A team that ca[an error occurred while processing this directive]n take advantage of opportunities then go on and win is key for us here towards the end of the season."
Tucker’s lined single up the middle with the bases loaded and no out came at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday — 6 hours after the teams started the double-header. Both of the scheduled seven-inning games went extra innings, including Lowell’s 4-2 eight-inning victory in the first game.
"I was just looking for a pitch up," second baseman Tucker said of his hit off losing pitcher Felix Ventura (3-6). "He threw it pretty much right down the plate and I just got a bat on it."
The Tigers were two outs from being swept, trailing, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh.
Louis Ott led off with a ground single to left in the seventh off Lowell’s Josh Papelbon, the younger brother of Boston Red Sox closer Jon Papelbon. After Tucker struck out, Ronnie Bourquin grounded a single to left that sent Ott to second.
Scott Sizemore then singled to left to load the bases.
Santo De Leon followed with a come-backer to Papelbon, who hesitated before coming home. His throw was high and left, and Lowell catcher Luis Exposito dropped it allowing Ott to score to make it 3-2.
Brennan Boesch then hit an RBI grounder to second to tie the score.
In the Tigers’ 10th inning, Casper Wells led off with a double down the left field line off losing pitcher Felix Ventura (3-6). Brandon Timm’s bunt single moved Wells to third, and after Timm stole third, Ventura intentionally walked Lou Ott.
Tucker’s liner to center clinched the victory and eased the pain of 27 stranded runners by the Tigers over both games.
"Lou is coming on," Brookens said of Ott, who went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader and has increased his average from .184 to .240 over the last week. "He is putting in the extra work in the cage and on the field. I look for him to be a solid hitter for the rest of the season."
Winning pitcher Derek Witt (5-1) threw four scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out two and walked none in lowering his team-leading ERA to 0.74.
