Sport

Braves win 18-inning marathon

THE Braves and Dodgers weren't scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, but it took 18 innings and more than five hours …

Mon Aug 05 1996 - 01:00

THE Braves and Dodgers weren't scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, but it took 18 innings and more than five hours for Atlanta to edge Los Angeles 5-3.

Mike Mordecai's RBI single in a two-run 18th inning ended the marathon. The Braves, who blew a ninth-inning lead and went 27 outs between hits earlier in the game, broke through against Ramon Martinez, making his first relief appearance in eight years.

The Braves have one game left on their Olympic-induced marathon 17-game road trip.

In Chicago, Rookie Jamey Wright allowed four hits over 7 1/3 innings and Vinny Castilla belted a three-run homer to lead the Colorado Rockies to an 8-2 win over the Cubs.

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In Montreal, Shane Andrews had a homer and four RBI to lead the Expos to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Andrews had an RBI single in the second to give Montreal a 1-0 lead and he belted a three-run homer off Cincinnati starter Mark Portugal (7-8) in the fourth.

Andrews is batting .484 (15-for-31) with six homers and 19 RBI in 10 games against the Reds this season.

Rheal Cormier (7-6) allowed one earned run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings for the win.

In Houston, Shane Reynolds pitched a three-hitter and Derek Bell delivered a two-run single in the first inning as the Astros moved into first place in the Central Division with a 4-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

In San Diego, Kevin Brown scattered three hits over eight innings and Jeff Conine, Terry Pendleton and Quilvio Veras hit solo homers to power the Florida Marlins to a 5-2 triumph over the Padres.

Brown (10-9), whose 1.99 ERA is tops in the majors, retired 16 straight batters before Rickey Henderson's one-out single in the sixth.

In New York, Butch Huskey's two-run single highlighted a four-run third inning and John Franco escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth as the Mets held on for a 5-4 victory over the St Louis Cardinals.

In Philadelphia, rookie David Doster doubled and scored the winning run on Mike Lieberthal's ninth-inning grounder as the Phillies nipped the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6.