The Jayhawks eventually extended

ST. [url=http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/]Chris Paul Rockets Jersey[/url] . LOUIS - When rosters expand in September, National League managers dont have to save their backup catchers. The St. Louis Cardinals pinch-ran for Yadier Molina in the ninth inning, allowing Tony Cruz to put his stamp on the race to the post-season. "Just taking it as it comes," Cruz said after getting the winning hit in the 13th inning in the Cardinals 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night that moved St. Louis closer to its second straight NL Central title. "Any way you can contribute is huge." The defending National League champions took two of three in a tight series that featured only 12 runs and another game that lasted 12 innings. The Cardinals lead the division by 2 1/2 games with nine games to go. They will begin their final home series of the season on Friday with the first of three games against Cincinnati. "Its huge," Cruz said. "You dont want to scoreboard-watch but it goes on, especially this time of the year. We know whats at stake." Aramis Ramirez and Scooter Gennett both had an RBI for the Brewers, who are five games back and 3 1/2 out for the second NL wild card. Jonathan Lucroys 45th double as a catcher tied the major league record for the position, set by Ivan Rodriguez in 1996, and was his major league-leading 52nd overall. Cruz singled up the middle with one out for the third hit of the 13th against Jimmy Nelson (2-8), scoring Matt Adams from second. Four straight St. Louis hitters reached against Jonathan Broxton with two outs in the eighth to tie it, resulting in the seventh blown save in Kyle Lohses starts. Jon Jay had an RBI single, and Adams drew his second bases-loaded walk of the series to make it 2-2 after Matt Holliday kept the inning alive with a headfirst dive into first for an infield hit. That call was overturned after the Cardinals asked for a replay review. "I dont think many of us are a big fan of that diving into first base trick," manager Mike Matheny said. "Apparently, it worked." Earlier in the eighth, Brewers first baseman Mark Reynolds thought there were two outs instead of one and didnt try for a double play on pinch hitter A.J. Pierzynskis groundout. He just stepped on the bag instead. "Mistakes like that cant happen, obviously, especially in this point in the season," Reynolds said. "Everyone had their hands on their heads. "It was an easy double-play ball, especially with Pierzynski running." The Brewers left two on in the 10th against Pat Neshek and loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th against Carlos Martinez, who escaped by striking out Carlos Gomez. He then fanned Ryan Braun with a man on second to end the 12th. Sam Freeman (2-0) had two strikeouts in a perfect 13th — the most innings in a Cardinals game. Ramirez had two hits and has two homers and 10 RBIs against St. Louis this year. Shelby Miller retired the first 11 before surrendering three straight two-out hits in the fourth, a rally started by Lucroys double. Miller has allowed two earned runs in 26 innings this month, and St. Louis starters have given up one earned run or fewer in seven straight starts. Brewers starters have a 1.74 ERA in the last eight games. Cardinals leadoff man Matt Carpenter is 1 for 16 against Lohse. TRAINERS ROOM: Cardinals: Matheny feels no urgency to get another look at Justin Masterson, banished to the bullpen with a 7.53 ERA and limited to 1 1-3 innings since Aug. 30. UP NEXT: Brewers: Yovani Gallardo (8-10, 3.59) gets the call in the opener of a three-game series at Pittsburgh. He is 0-4 with a 5.25 ERA in his last five starts. The Brewers are 11-5 against the Pirates this year and 87-41 since 2007. Cardinals: John Lackey makes his first start in nine days after getting skipped for the Milwaukee series. He is 2-2 with a 5.05 ERA for St. Louis and 11-7 with a 3.60 ERA overall. FUNDAMENTALLY SPEAKING: Both teams failed to get a bunt down late. Pinch-hitter Peter Bourjos fouled off two attempts, the last resulting in a strikeout in the ninth. Carlos Gomez fouled out to Cruz in the 10th. [url=http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/]Chris Paul Red Jersey[/url] . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. [url=http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/]Chris Paul Womens Jersey[/url] .Simon will work with head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate for the 2014-15 season. [url=http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/]http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/[/url] ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Georges Niang walked off the floor in the closing minutes with a bloody towel pressed tightly to his forehead, pumping his fist and riling up the Iowa State fans in the Sprint Center. Turns out he was just jumpstarting the celebration. Niang scored 25 points before leaving with that gash above his right eye, and the No. 16 Cyclones held on down the stretch to beat No. 10 Kansas 94-83 Friday night and reach their first Big 12 tournament title game since 2000. "We love competing for championships," Niang said later, a bandage over his wound. "Coach says take it one day at a time, but the Big 12 championship is one day away from us." DeAndre Kane had five 3-pointers and scored 20 points, and Big 12 player of the year Melvin Ejim added 19 points for the fourth-seeded Cyclones (25-8), who will play for just their second tournament title Saturday night against the winner of Texas-Baylor. The victory for Iowa State represented its first in four tries against Kansas in the Big 12 tournament, and its first over the Jayhawks in Kansas City since March 10, 1996, when the schools were still part of the Big Eight. It also allowed Iowa State to match its 2001 team for the second-most wins in school history, trailing only the 32 wins piled up by the 2000 team. Incidentally, it was that team that won the Cyclones only Big 12 tournament title. "Its a great win for us, for the fact it gives us confidence we can compete with anyone in the nation," Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg said. "It was good to finally get one of these after struggling to close out games against Kansas the past few years." Relying on some hot outside shooting, Iowa State took charge in the second half, and then held on as the top-seeded Jayhawks (24-9) tried to make a late run to get back into the game. Perry Ellis led Kansas with 30 points. Andrew Wiggins finished with 22. The Jayhawks again were playing without 7-footer Joel Embiid, the leagues defensive player of the year, and his rim-protecting presence was sorely missed. The freshman has a stress fracture in his back and is likely out until at least the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. "Joel not being in there, he could probably guard Niang better," Kaansas coach Bill Self said, "but I think it was more a collection of everybody rather than just one individual. [url=http://www.authenticrocketsproshop.com/Chris-Paul-Jersey/]Chris Paul Jersey[/url]. " The Sprint Center was packed to the rafters with fans eager to see whether Iowa State could finally end its five-game losing streak against the Jayhawks, or whether Kansas could burnish what it hoped would be a resume worthy of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The teams got after it right from the tip, racing up and down the floor in what amounted to a series of 94-foot wind sprints. Iowa State got the better of it early, forging a 23-16 lead, but the Jayhawks countered with a brutally efficient 20-3 charge to take control. Things got so intense that the normally placid Hoiberg was rung up with a technical foul after Kane appeared to be hammered on the way to the basket and no foul was called. "I used a bad word," Hoiberg said sheepishly. "Im not going to say I didnt." The Jayhawks lead was also short-lived. Kane started the comeback by converting a three-point play, Ejim and Niang went to work inside, and the Cyclones tied it 46-all in the closing minutes of the first half when Kane knocked down another shot from the corner. Their hot perimeter shooting continued in the second half, when the Cyclones turned a 48-46 deficit into a 66-57 lead, the last points in the run on a deep ball from Naz Long. By that point, Iowa State was 11 of 16 from the 3-point line. "We were on our heels defensively throughout the game," Ellis said. "I felt in the first half we did a lot better. In the second half, we let too many straight-line drives to the basket." The Jayhawks eventually extended their defence to the perimeter, and thats when Iowa State started going to the basket again. Niang scored four straight baskets for Iowa State during one stretch that made it 81-72, and scored on three straight trips to make it 86-74. The lead never got much smaller, even after Niang was whacked in the face during a scrum under the basket, prompting him to start the party for the Iowa State fans in attendance. "We felt like we had these guys in the second half," Niang said. "We came out and threw the first punch and from there it was clear skies." [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysoutlet.net/]Cheap NFL Jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinawholesale.net/]Wholesale Jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinabuy.com/]Wholesale NFL Jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapjerseysfromchinaauthentic.com/]Jerseys From China[/url] [url=http://www.cheapauthenticstitchednfljerseys.com/]Wholesale NFL Jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.wholesalejerseysforcheapchina.com/]Cheap NFL Jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapncaajerseysauthentic.com/]Cheap Jerseys[/url] ' ' '