Reliever Mark Melancon said his heart sunk. Second baseman Brandon Inge figured, that's it, two runs. Pedro Alvarez watched from third base and tossed his head back, disappointed. Still, Inge tracked Lucas Duda's scorching grounder up the first-base line and Melancon broke for the bag. Good thing, too. The baseball struck first base and shot straight up in the air, maybe 20 feet. With Duda lumbering down the line, Inge ranged behind first and took a small hop to catch the ball. He then whipped a throw to Melancon for the final out of the eighth inning, possibly saving two runs and helping Pittsburgh beat the New York Mets 3-2 Sunday.
