Sports
Mariners take down Oakland in slugfest
10:49 PM PDT on Sunday, July 29, 2007
SEATTLE -- Ben Broussard, playing for the ejected Richie Sexson, hit a two-run homer in the seventh to tie the game, and Jason Ellison scored the go-ahead run on an errant throw an inning later in the Mariners' wild 14-10 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
AP
Seattle Mariners' Adrian Beltre rounds third base after hitting a three-run home run off Oakland Athletics' Lenny DiNardo during the second inning.
Seattle's improbable win came after Oakland had erased a 6-0 deficit, scoring four runs in the sixth inning off Seattle reliever Chris Reitsma. But the combination of Kenji Johjima, Adrian Beltre, Broussard and Ellison helped get Reitsma off the hook.
Johjima led off the bottom of the eighth with a double just fair down the left field line off Oakland reliever Huston Street (2-2). Ellison ran for the catcher and Jose Lopez laid down a bunt to advance him to third. Street fielded the bunt but threw wide to first, allowing Ellison to race home with the go-ahead run.
Jose Guillen later added a two-run single off Street just past diving first baseman Dan Johnson, and Broussard singled off Joe Kennedy to score Jose Vidro and give Seattle a cushion.
Sean Green (4-1) pitched the eighth inning for the win.
The Mariners took three of four in the series, but only after scoring three times in the seventh off Oakland reliever Santiago Casilla.
Ichiro Suzuki started the inning with a bunt single over Casilla's head that landed between the mound and second base. Suzuki stole second and third, but was still standing there with two outs. Beltre, who hit a three-run homer in the second innings, lined a high fastball into left field to score Suzuki.
Broussard, who entered the game an inning earlier after Sexson was ejected by first base umpire Mark Carlson, worked the count to 2-2, then hit his sixth homer of the season to right field, nearly hitting the facing of the second deck.
Nick Swisher capped Oakland's rally with a bases clearing double in the sixth inning off Reitsma. Oakland scored four runs and had five hits against Reitsma in the inning, erasing Seattle's 7-5 lead.
Mike Piazza's third hit of the game -- and third RBI -- scored Swisher for a 9-7 lead, and Oakland added one more in the seventh on Shannon Stewart's RBI single. Stewart also hit a solo homer in the fifth.
Neither starter was involved in the decision and Oakland's Lenny DiNardo was gone long before either team rallied. DiNardo lasted just three innings and allowed seven earned runs. Five of the runs came with two outs, capped by Beltre's three-run homer in the second. Suzuki also picked up his 1,500 career hit in the second inning, becoming the third fastest player to reach that mark.
DiNardo was coming off consecutive stellar performances against Texas and the Angels, giving up just one earned run in those two starts.
Seattle starter Jarrod Washburn failed to keep the big lead intact, giving up three runs in the third inning -- two of those unearned after Beltre made two errors on one play. Piazza capped the third with a two-run single, then Oakland got two more in the fifth on Stewart's homer and Jack Cust's RBI single.
More Headlines...
Eighth inning meltdown dooms Indians, 9-4
M's blow late lead, rally to beat BoSox in 11 innings
Cougs leading USA, Australia in U19 Championships
Updated: Local stars to play in NBA Summer League
Take two: Indians win second straight over Bears
M's break 10-game losing streak in NY with 8-4 win over Yankees
Most Viewed Stories
Below is a list of the most popular stories read by our subscribers this week.
Fund set up for Coco, dog swung by leash
Organized crime ring steals meat from grocery stores
Woman hit by truck Downtown on life-support, unlikely to recover
Popular Stories






You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name