on both sides of the ball and never recovered.I don

NEW YORK -- Reliever Mark Melancon said his heart sunk. Second baseman Brandon Inge figured, thats it, two runs. Pedro Alvarez watched from third base and tossed his head back, disappointed. Still, Inge tracked Lucas Dudas scorching grounder up the first-base line and Melancon broke for the bag. Good thing, too. The baseball struck first base and shot straight up in the air, maybe 20 feet. With Duda lumbering down the line, Inge ranged behind first and took a small hop to catch the ball. He then whipped a throw to Melancon for the final out of the eighth inning, possibly saving two runs and helping Pittsburgh beat the New York Mets 3-2 Sunday. "Inge stayed with the play, Melancon finished his route right to the bag, and we get the out," Pirates manager Hurdle said. "Our guys didnt quit once maybe a little adversity was thrown at them." Alvarez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the eighth against New Yorks overworked bullpen. Clint Barmes homered, Garrett Jones had a sacrifice fly and Jeanmar Gomez left with a lead against young ace Matt Harvey as the Pirates finished the four-game series with their third straight win. Mets relievers had pitched 13 innings over the previous three games, so manager Terry Collins was looking for another deep effort from Harvey in his 18th big league start following a nine-inning, one-hit gem on Tuesday. Harvey went seven, lifted for a pinch-hitter with the score 2-all. Scott Rice (1-2) walked Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen with one out in the eighth before Brandon Lyon walked pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez. Lyon struck out pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, then gave way to closer Bobby Parnell. Alvarez, who played high school ball in New York City, singled to left-centre for a 3-2 lead. "Its always good to come back home and have a good series," said Alvarez, who was 6 for 11 against the Mets to raise his average above .200 for the first time since the opening week of the season. "Its icing on the cake." The Mets had an opportunity in the eighth against Melancon, putting runners on first and third with one out. Ike Davis struck out as David Wright swiped second -- New Yorks fourth stolen base of the day -- before Duda hit the wicked grounder. When Inge caught the ball, he made a strong throw to Melancon, drawing gasps from many of the 28,404 in attendance. "I assumed the worst," Inge said. "Threw a bullet to him. At that point I figured it was a make-or-break play -- the catch was on him." Melancon threw his arms up in the air after stepping on first, not in celebration but to show the umpires he had caught it. Melancon said the ball skipped off the heel of his glove, rolled up his arm and across his chest before grabbing it with his bare hand. "I dont remember seeing the ball," Melancon said of Inges throw. Said Duda: "Anything could happen in that situation. You didnt know which way it was going to ricochet or whats going to happen. But it is what it is." Jason Grilli had a much easier time in the ninth, finishing with a perfect inning for his 15th straight save to start the season. Gomez gave the Pirates another solid start in place of injured James McDonald, yielding one run in five innings. He said he came out after five because of tightness in his right calf. He expects to be fine for his next start. Unlike Gomezs previous outing, when five relievers combined to finish the victory, Pittsburghs bullpen gave up the lead in the seventh on Mike Baxters looping single off Justin Wilson (3-0) that tied it at 2. The Mets finished their homestand 2-4 and were 7 for 40 with runners in scoring position -- including 1 for 7 on Sunday. "You talk about how were snake bit, but thats just part of the game," Collins said. "Whats the next thing thats going to keep us from having a big game? But we won two games on this homestand by getting a couple of big hits. Weve just got to start hitting with guys in scoring position like we did early and we did last year in the first half." Collins tried to jolt his lineup by restoring slumping sluggers Ike Davis and Duda back into the middle of the order, and the move paid quick dividends when Duda homered to centre field. He ran around the bases in his pink spikes on Mothers Day as New York went up 1-0. But the no-nonsense Harvey appeared out of sorts from the start -- maybe it was Buck using pink stick-ons on his fingernails rather than the usual white to make pitch signs more easily readable. Relying more heavily on his slider and curveball than a fastball that reaches 98 mph, Harvey gave up two runs in the third, and it couldve been worse if Juan Lagares hadnt made a sensational catch in centre field. After Barmes led off with his second homer of the season, Gomez hit a sinking liner and Lagares reached low to get his glove on the ball, which popped out as he stumbled forward. Lagares momentum carried him into a dive and he made the catch -- for good -- as he fell to the turf. Harvey then loaded the bases on two walks sandwiched around a single. Jones hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead and Jordy Mercer popped out to end the inning. NOTES: Pittsburgh improved to 6-13 at Citi Field since it opened in 2009. ... Pirates RHP Charlie Morton (elbow surgery) is scheduled to make a rehab start Thursday at Double-A Altoona. He is targeted to throw four innings and 65 pitches. ... Pirates RHP Jeff Karstens (shoulder inflammation) is set to make a rehab start in the Class A Florida State League on Monday. He is slated to throw 50 pitches and three innings. Rodney Hood Cavaliers Jersey . 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. Ante Zizic Cavaliers Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/Larry-Nance-Jr-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Larry Nance Jr. Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Kyrie Irving Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A marquee matchup turned into a lopsided win for Oklahoma, and the Sooners now only have rival Oklahoma State in the way of back-to-back Big 12 titles.Those playoffs hopes? Still a long shot for Oklahoma.Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and No. 9 Oklahoma scored four times off turnovers to beat No. 14 West Virginia 56-28 on Saturday night.In the first meeting of Top 10 teams in the Big 12 this season. Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, No. 8 AP) dominated from the start, building a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Mountaineers tried a late comeback.It was really a good way to come out, really focused, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Thats how you want to start an important game on the road.Now the Sooners have two weeks to prepare for the 13th-ranked Cowboys. The title will be decided in Norman on Dec. 3.It will be exciting to be on our field playing for a Big 12 championship, Stoops said. Its as good as it gets.West Virginia (8-2, 5-2, No. 10 AP) was eliminated from the conference race. The Mountaineers entered the game with the leagues top scoring defense but had too many weapons to cover and made far too many miscues.Samaje Perine ran for 160 yards and two TDs, Joe Mixon had 147 yards and a score, and Dede Westbrook had 100 yards receiving, including a 75-yard TD. After Oklahomas hot start, the Sooners kept the ball mostly on the ground. Mayfield finished 9 of 15 for 169 yards, all season lows.West Virginias Justin Crawford rushed for 331 yards, the third-highest total in school history. Skyler Howard threw for two TDs and ran for two more scores. His 37-yard TD toss to KaRaun White pulled the Mountaineers within 41-28 with 10 minutes left in the game. But West Virginia got no closer.I thought we were ready to play, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorseen said.dddddddddddd You cant make mistakes against a good football team.THE TAKEAWAYOklahoma: The Sooners improved to 2-2 against ranked opponents. Whether or not they make a move in the playoff standings after the convincing win remains to be seen, although the leagues top prize remains theirs for the taking.Obviously, it will be good to have a little rest, get a little time off, get everybodys bodies right before that big game, Mayfield said. Were right where we want to be right now.West Virginia: With a chance to make a statement against the first ranked team theyve faced this season, the Mountaineers came out flat on both sides of the ball and never recovered.I dont know if it was too big of a game and too much hype into it that our guys just ... I dont know, West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. I dont know if everybody was just trying to make a play instead of playing defense.TURNOVERS APLENTYWest Virginia made too many errors to give itself a chance. After the opening series, Gary Jennings couldnt handle a punt in a swirling wind that may have hit a teammate first. Oklahoma recovered at the Mountaineers 34 and eventually scored.Crawford and Howard fumbled the ball away inside the Oklahoma 5 on consecutive second-quarter series. The Sooners went the length of the field to score touchdowns after both turnovers.Oklahomas Jordan Evans returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. A week ago he had two interceptions in a win over Baylor.UP NEXT:Oklahoma: Bedlam on Dec. 3. Both the Sooners and Oklahoma State are off next weekend.West Virginia: Plays at Iowa State next Saturday, followed by the regular-season finale at home against Baylor. ' ' '