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Cubs down Pirates in 12 innings

May 16, 2015 - 1:17 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Szczur drove in the winning run in the 12th inning to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 11-10 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.

In the 12th with the bases loaded and Radhames Liz (1-3) on the mound, Szczur lofted a fly ball to shallow right that should have been an easy out, but Gregory Polanco slipped on the grass and fell, with the ball dropping on the field and Starlin Castro scoring for the win.

"I just couldn't believe it fell in like that," said Szczur about the hit. "I crossed first base and I was just thanking everybody that this happened the way it did."

Kris Bryant hit a three-run home run and drove in four, while Szczur drove in three for the Cubs, who have won their past five. Edwin Jackson (2-1) picked up the win for a scoreless inning of relief.

Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run home run while Francisco Cervelli drove in four runs for the Pirates, who have lost their past three games.

"Next game we'll be fine," said Cervelli. "We've been working hard all season and we'll be back tomorrow. This game can be like a roller coaster sometimes."

Jeff Locke allowed five runs on six hits in just 3 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh in the start, while Kyle Hendricks allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for Chicago.

Chicago went on top in the third as Dexter Fowler and Anthony Rizzo singled in front of a blast from Bryant over the wall in left-center for a 3-0 lead.

Pittsburgh got one back in the fourth on Pedro Alvarez's solo homer, but the Cubs answered in the home half.

Hendricks led off with a double and moved to third on an Addison Russell ground out before scoring thanks to a sac fly from Fowler. Rizzo followed with his eighth homer of the year for a 5-1 lead.

Chicago padded its lead in the fifth when Szczur hit a bases loaded single that plated two more for a 7-1 advantage.

Pittsburgh, though, got back in the game with a big sixth inning. The team loaded the bases with two outs and Cervelli blasted a double to right to clear the bags. Corey Hart then singled home Cervelli to make it a 7-5 game.

Chicago got one run back in the home portion of the sixth on an RBI single from Jorge Soler, and got into double-digits in the seventh.

Russell worked a one-out walk and moved to third on Fowler's single. A single from Rizzo scored Russell and Fowler crossed home on a sac fly from Bryant for a 10-5 lead.

Josh Harrison led off the eighth with his fourth homer of the year, and McCutchen later blasted a three-run shot, his fourth of the season, to make it a one-run contest.

The Pirates then tied the game in the ninth as Harrison doubled with two outs, moved to third on a wild pitch and crossed the plate thanks to a Cervelli single.

Game Notes

Each team had 15 hits in the game ... Pittsburgh was 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12, while Chicago stranded 16 and was 6-for-15 with RISP ... The game lasted 5 hours and 1 minute.