PEORIA, Ariz., March 21 (UPI) -- Rob Gandolfo's single up the middle drove in Pat Borders and snapped an eighth-inning tie Friday as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres, 7-5.
The Padres jumped on Mariners starter Rafael Soriano, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Sean Burroughs drove in two runs with a single and Xavier Nady and Gary Bennett each hit RBI singles.
Seattle cut its deficit in half in the bottom of the second when new Padres left fielder Rondell White lost Willie Bloomquist's pop fly in the sun, allowing it to drop for a double as Ben Davis and John Olerud scored.
Carlos Guillen and Mark McLemore recorded run-scoring singles in the fifth to tie the score, 4-4. Bloomquist, who went three for three, smacked an RBI double to left-center field to put the Mariners on top, 5-4.
But Ramon Vazquez tied it with a solo homer in the seventh, before Gandolfo broke the deadlock with his run-scoring single and scored an insurance run when he scored on Chad Myers' sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Jeff Nelson allowed two hits, struck out two and walked none in the eighth inning to pick up the win. Arthur Rhodes tossed a scoreless ninth for the save.
Padres starter Brian Lawrence gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings, but Brandon Villafuerte took the loss after surrendering two runs and two hits in the eighth.
