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Morgan's 10th-inning hit sends Brewers to NLCS

Oct 8, 2011 - 3:50 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Nyjer Morgan hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to send the Milwaukee Brewers to their first League Championship Series since 1982.

Carlos Gomez laced a one-out single off J.J. Putz and stole second base before Morgan's grounder up the middle sealed the Brewers' 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"Nyjer doing what he's done so many times this year," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "Of course (he) gets that big hit when you need it."

The Diamondbacks tied the game in the top of the ninth on Willie Bloomquist's RBI bunt single off of John Axford. They were attempting to become just the eighth team in major league history and first since the 2003 Red Sox to win a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2.

"I'm not happy to be on this end of it, yet I'm proud of my team and they played true to the way they played all year," said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson.

Axford (1-0) suffered his first blown save since April 18, but tossed a scoreless top of the 10th to earn the win. Putz (0-1) suffered the loss.

Jerry Hairston Jr. and Yuniesky Betancourt both had an RBI for the Brewers, who advanced to their first League Championship Series since 1982, when they defeated the Angels in the ALCS before falling to St. Louis in the World Series.

"Even though I have a fun, bubbly personality and everything like that, I still come to win and I'm a winner," said Morgan.

They will open the NLCS Sunday against the Cardinals, who defeated the Phillies 1-0 on Friday.

The Diamondbacks scored a combined 18 runs at Chase Field on Tuesday and Wednesday to force a decisive Game 5, but were held in check early by Yovani Gallardo.

Gallardo, who earned a win in Game 1, allowed just one run -- Justin Upton's third-inning homer -- over six frames. He is 6-0 in seven career starts against the Diamondbacks.

Ian Kennedy was again bested by Gallardo and failed to register a win in this series after earning a career-high 21 victories during the regular season.

He was charged with four runs in a Game 1 loss and allowed two runs on five hits over six innings on Friday.

Hairston's bases-loaded sac fly tied the game in the home fourth. Morgan began the frame with a double before Kennedy walked Ryan Braun and hit Rickie Weeks with one down the load the bases.

Braun began the Brewers' sixth with a double and Fielder followed with a walk. After Weeks popped out to Kennedy on a bunt attempt, Hairston belted a ball to deep center. Chris Young temporarily saved a run, making a Willie Mays- inspired, over-the-shoulder catch to retire Hairston, but Betancourt followed with a base hit to center for a 2-1 Milwaukee lead.

The Brewers posted a major league-best 57-24 home record during the regular season and the Miller Park faithful spurred their team towards its second-ever postseason series win.

Takashi Saito tossed a 1-2-3 seventh and Francisco Rodriguez grounded out Ryan Roberts -- who hit a grand slam in Game 4 -- to escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth.

The celebration was put on hold, however, when Gerardo Parra doubled off Axford to begin the ninth. A single by Sean Burroughs placed runners at the corners before Bloomquist's bunt single up the first base line tied the game.

Game Notes

Major league teams are 58-7 when leading a best-of-five series 2-0...The Brewers were 79-6 when leading after seven innings during the regular season...Arizona went 94-68 during the regular season to record its third-best mark in franchise history...Kennedy tied the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw for the second-most wins in the majors during the regular season. Only the Tigers' Justin Verlander (24) had more wins.