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Pirates turn triple play, rally to cool off Cardinals 7-5

Sports

May 9th, 2015 by admin

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jordy Mercer broke out of a deep slump with a go-ahead two-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 on Saturday night.

Mercer, who began the day hitting .186, sent a fastball off the wall in center field with one out in the sixth to give the Pirates the lead. Mercer finished with three RBIs, nearly doubling his season total.

Neil Walker added his second homer and the Pirates ended a seven-game losing streak to the Cardinals. Rob Scahill (1-2) earned the win in relief. Mark Melancon worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save.

Jhonny Peralta and Jason Heyward had two hits each. Both were on base in the second inning when Yadier Molina hit into the franchise’s first triple play in nearly 12 years. Carlos Martinez (3-1) picked up his first loss.