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SEATTLE -- Justin Smoak had already done his part by hitting a go-ahead double in the eighth inning. Tony Gonzalez Jersey . But when Fernando Rodney struggled in the ninth, it was Smoak who made another huge play to keep Seattle from blowing the lead. Smoaks two-run double put his team ahead, and his diving catch of Adrian Beltres line drive in the ninth turned into a game-ending double play as the Mariners held on for a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Smoaks double was crucial. It drove in the first runs this season for Seattle in the eighth inning and sparked a four-run rally for the Mariners. But his grab in the ninth trumped what he did at the plate. Beltres ball was hit so hard, there was no time for Smoak to think. All he could do was dive, stretch and hope. "I kind of blacked out there for a second. Just jumped and stretched as far as I could stretch and it went into the glove," Smoak said. Robinson Cano had a two-run double for the Mariners, who won consecutive games for the first time since the opening week of the season. Canos double was the only time the Mariners got to Texas starter Robbie Ross Jr., but they battered reliever Neal Cotts (1-2) in the eighth inning, scoring four times to end the Rangers win streak at three games. With no outs and the bases loaded, Smoak avoided the temptation of two inside pitches from Cotts and worked the count full. Then he lined a pitch down the left-field line and just out of the reach of Michael Choice, allowing Cano and pinch-runner Michael Saunders to score the go-ahead runs. Seattle had been outscored 18-0 in the eighth inning heading into Fridays game. The Mariners had not won two straight since their three-game sweep of the Angels to open the season. The Mariners rally started thanks to Cano, who led off the eighth with a single on the first pitch. Corey Hart worked a full count before being hit on the knee by Cotts pitch -- the fourth Seattle batter to be hit by a pitch -- and Stefan Romero loaded the bases with a bunt single. Thats when Smoak came through with his fifth double. Kyle Seager added an RBI single and Smoak scored on a wild pitch from Alexi Ogando for a 6-3 lead. The Mariners ended up needing all those runs because although Rodney got his fourth save, he made it uncomfortable in the ninth. He loaded the bases with one out and wasnt helped when Smoak couldnt handle the relay from Cano on a possible double play early in the inning. Rodney then walked Choice and Elvis Andrus to force in runs and make it 6-5. Beltre hit a liner that appeared headed for the outfield. Smoak snared it and doubled Andrus off first to end the game. "Thats Fernando. Sometimes hes going to have you on the top step. In the end he gets it done," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Probably not all his doing. We could have made it a lot easier for him if we turned the double play." Seattle relievers Dominic Leone and Yoervis Medina (1-1) bridged the late innings after starter Roenis Elias lasted 5 2-3 innings. Leones wild pitch that allowed Prince Fielder to score with two outs in the sixth was the difference until the late rally. Ross threw six innings, giving up six hits and two runs. He has gone 84 batters without issuing a walk. His lone trouble came when he hit Abraham Almonte with a pitch with two outs and then gave up a single to Willie Bloomquist. Cano followed by lining a double off the wall in left-centre, scoring both runners. It was his fourth double of the season and fifth extra-base hit. "Its frustrating because you want to get the guys before you have to face him," Ross said. NOTES: Texas C J.P. Arencibia snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a double leading off the third. It was his third hit of the season and first since April 6. ... Injured Seattle LHP James Paxton threw for the first time since straining a back muscle this month. Paxton threw from 45 feet. Injured RHP Taijuan Walker (shoulder) is expected to start throwing on Monday. ... Seattle Seahawks DE Michael Bennett threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Jacquizz Rodgers Jersey . The league announced the decision on its website Saturday, shortly before AC Milan was due to kick off against Genoa at 6 p.m. local time. The 25-year-old Morosini died about an hour earlier after suffering cardiac arrest during his teams Serie B match at Pescara. Roddy White Jersey . -- The Los Angeles Galaxy have signed coach Bruce Arena to a multi-year contract extension.Krasnaya Polyana, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Anton Kushnir of Belarus won gold in the mens aerials Monday at the Sochi Games, claiming his countrys second straight Olympic title in the freestyle skiing event. Belarusian skier Alexei Grishin, who won gold four years ago in Vancouver, failed to even make it to the three-round final before his compatriot Kushnir made it two straight Olympic aerials titles for the country. Kushnir had the highest-scoring jump of the day in his third attempt of the final round. His gold-winning jump earned a score of 134.50 from the judges to easily outpace silver medalist David Morris of Australia. Grishins aerials win in 2010 marked the first-ever gold medal for Belarus at the Winter Games, but the country has earned five golds in Sochi. Darya Domracheva has claimed three gold in womens biathlon and Alla Tsuper took the Olympic title in the womens aerials. The finals began with 12 skiers before the field was whittled to eight after the first jump. Only four skierrs make it to the third and final jump. Joplo Bartu Jersey. Morris final jump earned a mark of 110.41 and Chinas Jia Zongyang was third with a score of 95.06. Jias countryman Qi Guangpu finished fourth. All three skiers to make the podium in Tuesdays event were first-time Olympic medalists. After earning the last of 12 spots for the finals, American skier Mac Bohonnon was the seventh of eight skiers to move into the second jump of the finals. He had a score of 105.21 to reach the final eight, but Bohonnon failed to qualify for the third jump. The 18-year-old was fifth in the second round with a score of 113.72, leaving him 1.33 points shy of the fourth berth in the last round. Bohonnon was the lone American in the field. Jeret Peterson, who claimed silver for the U.S. in Vancouver, tragically killed himself less than 18 months after competing in 2010. Travis Gerrits was the only representative for Canada and he finished in seventh place after Bohonnon and Oleksandr Abramenko of Ukraine. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
