AUBURN - Losing a game that should have been won is one thing. Having the final score appear as though the game was never close is even worse.

Through the first six innings Wednesday, the Auburn Doubledays seemed to have a much-needed win sewn up. Their pitching was on point, the defense was making stand-up plays and guys were delivering timely hits.

Then Auburn's bullpen came undone and the defense fell through. That's when Oneonta took advantage, and the 8-4 win at Falcon Park.

The loss was crushing, not only to Auburn (9-17), who has quickly sank to sole possession of last place in the Pinckney Division, but to Doubledays starter Egan Smith, who pitched a stellar game. Toronto's seventh-round draft pick lasted five innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit and two walks - all in the fifth inning. The Doubledays seemed to spark at the plate at the right time to put Smith in position for the win, putting up three runs in the fifth off Tigers starter Luis Sanz. Designated hitter Jack Murphy blasted an RBI double to break the scoreless tie, before Brad Glenn belted a sacrifice fly to score Murphy. Sean Ochinko later came home on a Sanz balk, the first of two in the game.

The Doubledays' bullpen began to falter in the next inning, when Alexis Espinoza hit a two-run home run off Willy Mendez to cut the lead to one. Welinton Ramirez then answered back for the Doubledays in the bottom of the inning, with a solo shot of his own - his first of the season.

Even with just a two-run lead, Auburn seemed to have the game in hand until Glenn had an errant throw in the seventh inning to allow Keith Hernandez to reach base. The Tigers didn't score a run in the frame, but it looked as though Auburn was falling apart. With Austin Armstrong on the mound, fresh off the disabled list, the Tigers put up two more runs to tie the game before Casey Beck came on to relieve Armstrong with one out in the eighth. A Matt Mansilla single to score Wade Gaynor ultimately earned Beck his second loss of the season, though the Tigers scored three runs on four straight singles - and a Yan Gomes throwing error - in the ninth.

With the heart of their lineup coming up to the plate, Auburn theoretically had a chance to make a comeback. Ramirez, Gomes, Ochinko, Murphy and Glenn are all proven hitters that had earned five of the team's seven total hits on the night, but after Wade Kapteyn fanned Ramirez looking, the rest of the air came out of Auburn. Gomes earned a nice single to put a runner on, but for the second straight night, the final batter hit into a double play to end the game.

The Doubledays will need help from their bullpen if they want to avoid being swept today in the final home game before a six-game road trip. Nine of Oneonta's 10 hits came after Smith left the game.

Sanz picked up his first win for Oneonta, while Kapteyn earned his first save of the season. With the win, the Tigers (14-8) edged their lead in the Stedlar Division to 2.5 games over Lowell.

Tigers 8

Doubledays 4