Unsere Homepage » eventh player in major league history to homer in

ESTERO, Fla. -- A big lead was gone, and No. 8 Ohio State looked to be in trouble.Kelsey Mitchell wasnt bothered whatsoever.Mitchell scored 24 points, including 3-pointers on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter after her team fell behind, and the Buckeyes held off No. 11 Syracuse 77-72 on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Buckeyes (5-1) led by 15 points early in the second half before needing to rally.They just came in the rhythm of the offense, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said of Mitchells two big 3-pointers late. Shes such a great player and makes a lot of big shots.The Buckeyes (5-1) will meet No. 5 Baylor on Sunday in the championship game.Theyve got a great team, talented, well-coached, McGuff said of the Bears, who rolled past DePaul in Saturdays other semifinal. Theyre the biggest team in college basketball and weve got a great challenge on our hands. But thats why we came to this tournament.Sierra Calhoun scored 19 points, Stephanie Mavunga had 13, and Shayla Cooper grabbed 10 rebounds for Ohio State.Alexis Peterson led all scorers with 29 points for Syracuse (4-2). Brittney Sykes had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Gabby Cooper scored 12 for Syracuse -- which will meet No. 18 DePaul in the consolation game Sunday.Petersons 3-pointer from the left wing with about 40 seconds left tied the game at 72. But she was called for a blocking foul as Mitchell dribbled near the sideline on the next Ohio State possession, and the Buckeyes star coolly hit both to put her team back up by two.Another free throw made the lead 75-72, and Petersons deep 3-point try from the right wing in the final seconds was short. A pair of free throws then closed the scoring.We played really well in the second quarter and the start of the third quarter, McGuff said. Then our defense really started breaking down and you cant give a team like Syracuse open 3s.Syracuse needed only 1:49 of the first quarter to put together an 11-0 run, with four different players doing the scoring and the last three baskets in that stretch all coming from 3-point range.But the Buckeyes controlled much of the rest of the half, taking a 44-34 lead into the locker room and pushing the margin out to 15 early in the third quarter.Syracuse wasnt done.A 7-0 run got the Orange within two late in the third, and Sykes layup with 7:37 left put Syracuse back on top 62-60. Thats when Mitchell answered with the back-to-back 3-pointers, and Buckeyes would not trail again.BIG PICTURESyracuse: The Orange have now dropped two of their last three games after a 3-0 start to the season. Each of those three games have been of the down-to-the-wire variety. ... Cooper was 4 for 16 from the field -- 0 for 1 from 2-point range, and 4 for 15 from 3-point range.Ohio State: Both of the Buckeyes games in the tournament so far have been close in the fourth. ... Ohio State outscored Syracuse 32-16 in the paint.SPLIT DECISIONPeterson went 1-1 on Saturday.The native of Columbus, Ohio was rooting for No. 2 Ohio State to beat No. 3 Michigan in football earlier in the day -- and the Buckeyes took care of her wishes, prevailing 30-27 in double overtime. But her wish to beat the Buckeyes fell short, despite her season-high point total.UP NEXTSyracuse: Faces No. 18 DePaul on Sunday in the tournament consolation game.Ohio State: Faces No. 5 Baylor on Sunday in the tournament championship game. Air Jordan 1 Wholesale . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Cheap Air Jordan 1 For Sale .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.cheapairjordan1.net/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Air Jordan 1 Discount .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Air Jordan 1 Sale Usa . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. CHICAGO -- So much for October closer. With his Dodgers desperate for a win, Clayton Kershaw delivered the best start of his checkered playoff career.The ace left-hander pitched seven sparkling innings, Adrian Gonzalez homered and Los Angeles beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 Sunday night to tie the NL Championship Series at a game apiece.Kershaw retired his first 14 batters and allowed just two hits in first outing since he pitched three times in the NL Division Series, including a two-out save in Game 5 on Thursday night in Washington. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner struck out six and walked one while throwing just 84 pitches in a brisk outing that could help when he returns later in the NLCS.It was one of those games where one pitch could have been the deciding factor, Kershaw said. So, really just kind of couldnt look up for a minute for air and just kind of kept going through it and fortunate to get through it tonight.Kenley Jansen then struck out four in two perfect innings for his third save of the playoffs. The teams combined for just five hits for the lowest total in a playoff game since the Cardinals and Pirates had four in Game 4 of their 2013 NL Division Series.I think that you couldnt have scripted it any better, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. And it was just another fun ballgame.Roberts almost went to Jansen with a runner on first and two out in the seventh, but Kershaw argued successfully to stay in the game. Javier Baez then hit a drive to the warning track in deep center, but Joc Pederson was there for the catch.He hit it pretty good, Kershaw said. And yeah, after Dave came out and that, I kind of talked my way into it. I really wanted to -- he was probably not going to trust me again after that, but, fortunately, he hit it at somebody, so it was good.Baezs drive was one of a precious few hard-hit balls for the Cubs. Kershaw was that good.The Dodgers needed a clutch pitching performance after their heartbreaking 8-4 loss in the series opener. And Kershaw responded with a gem that continued his reputation repair after a handful of playoff duds over the years. He was just 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 career postseason games coming into this series.I feel like every start he has the chance to be great, catcher Yasmani Grandal said. Its just unbelievable to see him pitch, its unbelievable to see him compete.Game 3 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta, who pitched a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium last August, faces left-hander Rich Hill.The Cubs lost a 1-0 game in the postseason for the first time since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox blanked them in the 1918 World Series opener.Playoffs is always about pitching and defense, said Miguel Montero, the Game 1 star for the Cubs. Tonight we played great defense as well and we couldnt score.Chicago, trying for its first pennant in 71 years, waasted a solid start by major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks, who pitched 5 1/3 innings of three-hit ball in his first outing since he left his Division Series start against San Francisco with a bruised right forearm.ddddddddddddHendricks only mistake was a second-inning fastball that Gonzalez drove over the wall in left-center for his second homer of the playoffs. Gonzalez also had a tying two-run single in the eighth inning of the series opener, but Monteros pinch-hit grand slam was the big blow in a dramatic win for Chicago.A day later, the Cubs couldnt get anything going against Kershaw.He kept the ball off the fat part of our bat, manager Joe Maddon said. He threw strikes like he normally does. So despite not having rest, his command and velocity were still good.Slumping slugger Anthony Rizzo just missed a home run with a foul drive in the fourth, and then bounced out. Baez and Willson Contreras hit consecutive two-out singles in the fifth for Chicagos first baserunners, but Jason Heyward fouled out to third.Nothing seemed to bother Kershaw on a muggy night at Wrigley Field. After Grandal dropped a foul popup in the seventh, Kershaw responded with a wry grin, and then struck out Ben Zobrist.I honestly thought with him pitching with a couple of days rest, he wasnt going to be that nasty, Baez said, but obviously he came ready for us and he just did his job.Jansen backed Kershaw with flawless relief. The big right-hander struck out Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant before Rizzo lined meekly to second for the final out.ABOUT GONZALEZGonzalez became the seventh player in major league history to homer in at least six consecutive playoff series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It was the third go-ahead homer of his postseason career.WHAT A RELIEFWhile the Cubs struggled against Jansen and Kershaw, Hendricks and their bullpen gave them a chance. Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery, Pedro Strop and Aroldis Chapman combined for 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief.Josh Reddick got Los Angeles last hit of the night in the sixth, putting runners on first and second. Edwards then came in and got Pederson to hit a soft liner to second that Baez let drop before starting a heady inning-ending double play .UP NEXTThe Cubs and Dodgers work out in Los Angeles on Monday, and then Arrieta and Hill return to the mound for the first time since the Division Series. Arrieta made one start against Los Angeles this season, pitching seven scoreless innings in a no-decision at Wrigley on May 31. Hill, a fourth-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2002, has made one appearance against his first major league team, recording two outs in relief for Boston on May 21, 2011.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '