Arlington, TX

Mitch Moreland blasted a homer in the 8th inning to help the Texas Rangers secure an 8-6 win against the Tampa Bay Rays and more importantly equalize their American League Division Series at 1-1 Saturday at Rangers Ballpark.

Fresh from a 9-0 loss in the series opener Friday,Rangers sluggers came back strong in Game 2 as Ian Kinsler, Mike Napoli, and Mooreland drove two runs each to narrow their AL Division Series with the Rays into a best-of-three affair.

Batting .259 with 16 homers and 51 RBI in the regular-season, Moreland delivered the biggest hit of the night as he sent Brandon Gomes' hurl over the right wall to give the Rangers a two-run cushion going into the final inning.

Closer Neftali Feliz put the icing on the cake by shutting down the Rays in the last inning.

The Rays took a 3-0 lead early on but the Rangers offense clicked at the right time, scoring seven runs before Rays star slugger Evan Longoria pulled off a three-run homer in the 7th inning to put his team within a single run, 7-6.

Mooreland's 8th inning blast halted the furious run by the Rays, who reached the postseason by overcoming a seven-run deficit against the New York Yankees in the final day of the regular-season.

Derek Holland had a solid start for the Rangers by allowing six hits and three runs with two strikeouts over five innings.

Coming off an All-Star season, James Shields faltered in his postseason start as he allowed 8 hits and 7 earned runs over 5 innings.

With the series tied at 1-1, the Rays-Rangers showdown is down to a best-of-three affair with the next two games slated at Tropicana Field.

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