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April 22 (UPI) -- The Oakland Athletics outlasted the Minnesota Twins 13-12 in a game that featured 361 pitches, 31 hits, seven home runs and a brutal error, which allowed the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Athletics first baseman Matt Olson went 3 for 5 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored in the win Wednesday at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. Right-fielder Seth Brown had three hits and another homer for the Athletics.
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The win gave the Athletics their 11th consecutive victory. They are tied for the best record in the American League and lead the American League West at 12-7.
"We're doing some good things right now," Athletics manager Bob Melvin told reporters. "There's a 'never say die' attitude.
"When you're playing the way we are, you always feel pretty good about [a comeback]. It never felt like we were out of the game, even though there were several times during the middle of it where we just couldn't stop them."
Athletics third baseman Chapman tied the game at 10-10 with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning, which forced extra innings. Twins center-fielder Byron Buxton then hit a two-run homer to make the score 12-10 in the top of the 10th frame.
The Athletics cut the lead to one run when Chapman scored on a fielding error in the next inning. Ramon Laureano then settled in to face Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome in the game's final at-bat.
Laureano proceeded to rip a 1-2 cutter into the dirt and down the third base line. Tony Kemp ran in to score as Twins third baseman Luis Arraez fielded the ball. Arraez attempted to end the inning with a throw to first base, but the attempt was off-target and allowed Elvis Andrus to score the winning run.
Josh Donaldson brought in the first run of the game with a 412-foot homer in the top of the first inning. Olson tied the score with a 382-foot blast in the bottom of the next inning. The Athletics went on to score two more runs in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Donaldson hit an RBI single and Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer for the Twins in the third inning. The Athletics snatched the lead back with Olson and Brown homers in the bottom of the third frame, but the Twins rallied in the top of the fifth inning.
Cruz smashed his second homer of the game to lead off the frame. The Twins scored another two runs on a wild pitch and an error to tie the score at 7-7.
The Twins plated another three runs to take a 10-7 advantage in the top of the sixth inning. Jed Lowrie brought in two runs for the Athletics with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. Chapman went on to force extra innings with his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda allowed eight hits and seven runs in three innings, but did not receive a decision. Athletics starter Frankie Montas allowed nine hits and six runs in four innings.
Brown went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Athletics. Lowrie went 2 for 5 with two RBIs in the win.
Cruz went 2 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs scored for the Twins. Buxton went 3 for 6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Jorge Polanco went 4 for 6 with two runs scored and an RBI in the loss.
The Twins (6-11) host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 p.m. EDT Friday at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Athletics (12-7) face the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 p.m. EDT Friday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
