AUBURN - It's become a well-known fact that lately, the New York Yankees' offense has been anemic at best.

But further down the baseball totem pole, offense hasn't been a problem for the Staten Island Yankees. The New York-Penn League McNamara Division leaders had put up 48 runs during their seven-game win streak heading into Falcon Park Saturday. The Yankees didn't put up a lot of runs, but 11 hits overwhelmed the Auburn Doubledays as Staten Island earned its eighth straight win, 6-2. “If you don't play good, you're going to lose - it's that simple,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said.

Three infield Auburn errors helped the Yankees' cause, as did the combined effort from Staten Island hurlers David Phelps and Drew Shetrone. Phelps, the starter, got his second win of the season after 5 1-3 innings of work and allowing all four of the Doubledays hits. Shetrone spent the next 2 2-3 on the mound, throwing two strikeouts and not permitting a baserunner on his watch. Josue Selenes pitched the last inning, allowing Adam Amar to walk with two outs, but Bartolo Nicholas' fielder's choice just two pitches later ended the game.

“We only had four hits today, but we were still within striking distance,” Holmberg said.

Joel Carreno suffered his first loss in Auburn, lasting 3 2-3 innings as the Yankees jump to a 3-0 lead that Auburn could not overcome.

Mitch Abeita brought in Dan Brewer after Brewer doubled to lead off the second inning. Before getting pulled in favor of Marcus Waldon with two outs in the fourth, Carreno saw two more runs score when Ray Kruml hit a hard single that trickled off the glove of first baseman Amar. Amar had an uncharacteristically tough night defensively, with one of the three infield miscues charged to him.

“He's going to have to think about playing more defense than just offense,” Holmberg said. “You have to make those plays.”

David Cooper shortened the Yankees lead to two in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single that scored leadoff batter Chris Demons. Kruml matched Cooper's score in the sixth on a bloop single that brought in Taylor Grote. Bryan Kervin, who also had a solid night at shortstop, doubled in Demons in the bottom of the inning to keep the game within reach.

“Bryan had an outstanding night tonight (defensively),” Holmberg said. “But he's played well ever since he got here and I'm real pleased with his effort tonight.”

But the Doubledays couldn't get a runner on base until the ninth, and the Yankees put in two more in the final frame on a Jack Rye leadoff triple, a Brewer double and Amar's error. Auburn closer Justin Cryer came in and fanned Grote in three pitches to end the inning.

The Doubledays (12-7) matched the Yankees' record with the loss, but look to even the series as well today.

Notes: With singles by Demons and Amar, only the first four Auburn batters reached base. Demons and Amar were the only ones to get on twice, via walks. ...The Yankees are in town for the first time since 2005, when they defeated the Doubledays in the first game of the championship series. ...Every Staten Island batter reached base on Saturday, though David Adams and Braedyn Pruitt went 0-for-4. ...Much talked-about ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte did not appear in the game after seeing action in the team's prior two contests with Mahoning Valley.

D-days Today

Record: 12-7

Standings: Tied for first place

Streak: 1 loss

Next: vs. Staten Island, 6 p.m.