CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Pirates did the little things to come up with a big win.Jordy Mercer had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, David Freese added a two-run single, and the Pirates overcame some shaky defense to preserve their chances in the NL wild-card race with a 9-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.The Pirates loaded the bases against Tony Cingrani (2-5) with a walk and two infield hits, including catcher Francisco Cervelli beating out a bunt to load the bases before Mercer snapped a 6-6 tie with a single to left. Freese singled to center two batters later.With (Cingrani), you have to be patient, Cervelli said. He throws the ball down and wants you to hit ground balls. We tried to do the little things. In that situation, you trust the guy behind you. The way Ive been swinging, I had to do it perfectly.You cant walk the leadoff man, Reds manager Bryan Price. Its basically a nothing-nothing game. You have to come in throwing strikes. Tony has had a terrific year, but thats been his nemesis lately.The Pirates have scored a combined 11 runs in their last at bats over their last two games. They scored eight in the ninth inning on Thursday against Philadelphia.They continue to play, manager Clint Hurdle said. Thats it. Theyre looking to continue games and finish games. That game was fun. Different things happened. Different opportunities presented themselves to different people.Gregory Polanco and Jung Ho Kang homered to help the Pirates to their third win in four games after a four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh remained 5 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the NLs second wild card.Antonio Bastardo (3-0) pitched a perfect ninth and Tony Watson allowed Steve Selskys first career home run before finishing up for his 13th save.The teams combined to use 15 pitchers.Polanco followed Andrew McCutchens RBI double with a two-run homer to right in the first, his first since Aug. 29.After Brandon Phillips RBI single in the first, Ramon Cabrera tied the game 3-3 with a two-run homer in the second. Robert Stephenson hit Kang with a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead in the fifth.Scott Schebler cashed in on two Pittsburgh fielding gaffes with a tie-breaking triple to give the Reds a 6-4 lead in the fifth.Joey Votto singled with one out in the sixth for a 4-4 tie. One out later, Brandon Phillips reached when pitcher Ryan Vogelsong dropped first baseman John Jasos throw for an error. Schebler followed with a line drive to center field that McCutchen uncharacteristically misplayed, allowing it to sail past him and roll to the wall for a two-run triple.Kang tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh off Blake Wood.RECORD(S) SWATKangs seventh-inning home run was the 236th allowed by Reds pitchers this season, tying the franchise record set in 2004. It also was the 93rd allowed by the Reds bullpen, breaking the major league record of 92 set in 1964 by the Kansas City Athletics.WET BLANKETThe start of the game was delayed 31 minutes by rain, one day before the teams play a day-night doubleheader created by a postponement from May 10.MANDATORY HBPStephenson grazed Kang with a pitch in the first inning and plunked him solidly with the bases loaded in the fifth, pushing to 20 the number of Pirates batters hit by Reds pitchers this season and to 53 the number over the last four seasons, the most by any major league staff against any opponent.FRIENDLY SKIESA drone was spotted flying around outside the ballpark before and during the game. A Reds spokesman said the Federal Aviation Administration had given the City of Cincinnati permission to let the drone record events on Friday and Sunday along the Ohio River.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: Continuing low back problems kept LF Starling Marte out of Fridays starting lineup. Marte hasnt played since Sept. 5.Reds: A day off on Thursday wasnt enough for SS Zack Cozarts right knee to improve enough to play. Cozart hasnt played because of soreness in the surgically repaired knee since being scratched from Sundays starting lineup.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-1) is scheduled to make his first major league start in the second game of Saturdays day-night doubleheader. RHP James Taillon (3-4) is the first-game starter.Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (8-3) can match the career high for wins he set last season in doubleheaders first game. LHP Robert Finnegan (9-10) is scheduled to start the second game. Nike Air Max Günstig Herren .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Air Max Schweiz .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. http://www.airmaxoutletschweiz.ch/ . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Nike Air Max Günstig Damen . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Air Max Günstig Online Kaufen . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. PHOENIX -- A Colorado woman who completed a nearly 82-mile swim across Lake Powell in 56 hours said Friday the vast distance wasnt her biggest fear.I wasnt concerned about the distance. I had trained and worked for that part, Sarah Thomas told The Associated Press a day after completing what is believed to be a record-breaking marathon swim. But how do you stay awake that long?Thomas, who was still in bed after sleeping nearly 12 hours, said she credits the little bit of caffeine in the liquid carbohydrate and electrolyte mixtures she consumed every 30 minutes during the swim.The 34-year-old from Conifer didnt stop swimming or get out of the water the entire time, allowing her to qualify for a possible record for an unassisted marathon swim.She had a team of 13 people with her who traveled by house boat and gave her food every half hour in the form of a water bottle tied to a cord.Thomas swam mostly freestyle but occasionally switched to backstroke or breaststroke to loosen up. The grueling swim made it difficult to walk afterward because her feet and body were so shaky.Exhausted and hungry, her first post-swim meal wasnt until breakfast the next day.This morning my husband tracked me down an omelet and some hash browns. I have to say it was the best food Ive had in my life, Thomas said.Thomas had done six major marathon swims since 2010, including efforts in Lake Tahoe and the English Channel. But none were as long as her journey on Lake Powell along the Arizona-Utah border.She initially planned to swim in the ocean off the California coast but decided a lake might be better and began a search for the right one.There are not a lot of lakes that are big enough and logistically make sense, she said.She chose Lake Powell for its amenities and proximity to Colorrado.dddddddddddder training consisted of at least 25 hours of swimming each week since April. At the peak, she averaged 50 miles a week.She said she was able to commit the time to training partly due to being able to work from home in her job as a hospital recruiter.The San Francisco-based Marathon Swimmers Federation will have the task of verifying Thomas swim.Co-founder Evan Morrison said two independent observers, who are well-known marathon swimmers as well, were present to see her swim.They have the knowledge and the credibility. Its not just Sarah asking her brother to come out and say `Oh yeah, my sister did this, Morrison said.A federation panel comprised of 16 members from the U.S. and other countries will review logs, GPS tracking data and any photos and video.Morrison expects everything to pass muster, calling Thomas one of the most well-respected and well-known swimmers in recent years.The current record holder for an unassisted solo, open-water swim is Australian swimmer Chloe McCardel. In October 2014, she swam 77.3 miles in the ocean in the Bahamas in a little over 41 hours.Thomas swim was in a body of water with no current impacting her.So, in one sense its a different category, Morrison said. In another sense, 81.8 miles is longer than 77.3. If ratified, it will be the longest unassisted solo swim in any body of water.Thomas has no plans for more marathons until the Cook Strait in 2018. In the meantime, she plans to just keep swimming. Distance, not speed, has always been the draw for her.I may not be the fastest but Im happy to keep going and going, she said.---AP reporter Josh Hoffner contributed to this report. ' ' '