SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Ex-North Valleys star Scott Cousins scored the winning run in a brutal collision with catcher Buster Posey at home in the 12th inning, and the Florida Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Wednesday night after blowing a four-run lead in the ninth.
Emilio Bonifacio hit a short fly ball to right-center off Guillermo Mota (2-1) for the second out. Cousins tagged from third base, beating the throw from Nate Schierholtz and lowering his shoulder to slam into Posey for a clean - albeit cringing - hit on the reigning NL Rookie of the Year.
Posey lay dazed, writhing in pain and curling up in a ball for several minutes as AT&T Park fell silent. He was helped off the field by two team trainers holding his left leg and looking stunned.
All this after the Giants batted around in the ninth to score four runs and force extra innings. Ryan Webb (1-3) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
This was perhaps the wildest night in a young season already full of them for San Francisco.
Marlins reliever Edward Mujica gave up a single to Schierholtz and a double to Miguel Tejada in the ninth. Leo Nunez entered with one out, and Schierholtz scored on a passed ball by catcher John Buck.
Pinch-hitter Pat Burrell had a bloop RBI single to center, trimming Florida's lead to 6-4. Nunez struck out Andres Torres before Freddy Sanchez doubled to put the tying runs in scoring position.
Aubrey Huff followed with a two-run single to make it 6-all, handing Nunez his first blown save in 19 chances. A good number of fans had left when Mike Stanton's bases-clearing double in the ninth gave the Marlins a four-run lead, and the ones who stayed received quite a show.
Even for San Francisco, this was a stunner.
The Marlins had peppered starter Madison Bumgarner with five hits in their first six at-bats, getting an RBI single from Gaby Sanchez and a run-scoring double from Stanton to go ahead 2-0. Bumgarner wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Wes Helms to ground into a double play to end the inning.
Huff struck out swinging with two outs in the third, and Sanchez got caught in a rundown between first and second. Torres broke for home, and shortstop Hanley Ramirez threw to the plate a little late and high, allowing Torres to slide in under the tag for his fifth stolen base this season, pulling the Giants even at 2-all.
Ramirez rebounded with a spectacular play, diving to his left to snag Posey's grounder, then throwing him out at first from his knees as he fell backward. Ramirez drove in Chris Coghlan with a grounder to short in the fifth to give Florida a 3-2 lead.
Stanton appeared to give Florida all the cushion it would need with a bases-loaded, two-out double to left-center off Javier Lopez to put the Marlina ahead 6-2. Those runs at least gave Florida another opportunity in extra innings after Nunez blew the save, spoiling a sharp outing by starter Chris Volstad
Volstad pitched six innings, allowing two runs and six hits. Bumgarner allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings.
NOTES: Marlins RHP Josh Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) threw for about 5 minutes on flat ground from 60 feet without any discomfort. Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez said Johnson will long toss next and was still hopeful his ace could be return by June 1. ... Giants speedster Darren Ford has a sprained left ankle and will likely be out for at least five days. ... Ramirez was removed in the bottom of the ninth because of a right foot contusion. He is day to day. ... Tejada turned 37 on Wednesday. ... Giants SS Mike Fontenot left the game after he strained his left groin running to first on a groundout in the fourth. He is day to day.
