RANGERS 9, D-BACKS 8
at Surprise, Ariz.
Wednesday, March 7

D-backs at the plate: Miguel Montero went 2-for-3, including a single to trigger a four-run seventh. Danny Richar punctuated that uprising with a two-run home run to left-center field.

Rangers at the plate: Sammy Sosa's two hits included his second homer, a towering three-run blow in the third. Gerald Laird ignited that six-run third with a solo home run, his first of the spring. Kenny Lofton doubled for two runs in the fourth.

D-backs on the mound: After sailing through the first two innings relatively untouched, Livan Hernandez was reeled by eight hits for nine runs through the last 13 batters he faced before being removed with one out in the fourth. Four subsequent hurlers blanked the Rangers the rest of the way, with lefty Bill Murphy the only one to go two frames.

Rangers on the mound: Lefty John Koronka recovered convincingly from his rocky spring debut to hold Arizona hitless for three innings. Kameron Loe, another candidate for the No. 5 slot in the rotation, followed by hurling three-hit ball for the next three innings, allowing only an unearned run.

Cactus League records: D-backs 4-4; Rangers 4-2.

Up next: Lefty Doug Davis is scheduled to make his second start of the spring on Thursday when the D-backs host the Angels to open a two-game stand in Tucson Electric Park. The Rangers will send Vicente Padilla to the mound at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in their first spring meeting with Oakland. Both contests are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CT.