Posted: 4/8/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Gene J. Puskar, The Associated Press Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jose Bautista, left, reaches for the plate and avoids the tag by Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto to tie the game in the seventh inning in Pittsburgh on Monday. The Cubs won 10-8 in 12 innings.

PITTSBURGH - Aramis Ramirez's sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run during a two-run 12th inning in which the Cubs didn't have a hit off rookie Evan Meek, and Chicago rallied after squandering a seven-run lead to win the Pittsburgh Pirates' home opener 10-8 Monday.

Former starter Jon Lieber (1-1) gave a depleted bullpen a big lift with three scoreless innings before Carlos Marmol finished up in the 12th for his first save since June 27, helping the Cubs win their third in a row.

Meek (0-1), a winter-meeting draft pick, was last remaining pitcher in the Pirates' bullpen. He walked five - two intentionally - in a 12th that started with walks to Ryan Theriot and Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs' second run of the inning came on Mark DeRosa's bases-loaded walk.

Ramirez and Geovany Soto each drove in two runs, and Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny walked three and committed a run-scoring throwing error during a six-run third finished off by Ronny Cedeno's three-run double.

The Pirates, who didn't score at least seven runs until May 13 last season but have done it three times in seven games this season, turned the Cubs' own errant throwing and starter Ted Lilly's wildness into a five-run fourth.

Ramirez's run-scoring grounder made it 8-5 in the sixth, but the Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the inning despite getting only one hit, Luis Rivas' single, among three walks.

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