The Sports Mac: The Daily Fives for Sept. 11, 2010

Top 5 Stories From Yesterday

1. The Giants beat the Padres for the second straight night to create a virtual tie in the National League West.

2. No. 23 West Virginia stages a massive comeback with 2 TD drives in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then won it overtime over in-state rival Marshall, 24-21.

3. The race in the AL East gets a little tighter as Tampa Bay wins in Toronto while the Yankees lose in 13 innings at Texas.

4. The gap in the NL East remains one game after the Phillies beat the Mets while the Braves got a big come from behind home win over St. Louis.

5. The top seed at the U.S. Open, Caroline Wozniacki, lost in her semifinal matches at Flushing Meadows.

Top 5 Games From Yesterday

1. No. 23 West Virginia 24, Marshall 21, Overtime: The Mountaineers had TD drives of 96 and 98 yards in the fourth quarter to force overtime, and won it in the extra frame when the Thundering Herd missed a 40-yard field goal.

2. Giants 1, Padres 0: San Francisco forces a tie in the NL West on a Juan Uribe RBI fielder’s choice as four Giants pitchers combine on a three-hit shutout.

3. Rangers 6, Yankees 5, 13 innings: Nelson Cruz hit the game tying HR in the eight and then the walkoff HR leading off the 13th to give Texas a big come from behind victory.

4. Rays 9, Blue Jays 8: Evan Longoria scored the winning run for Tampa Bay on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar as the Rays close to within 1.5 games of New York in the AL East.

5. Braves 8, Cardinals 6: Atlanta scores 6 in the bottom of the sixth to rally for a big win over St. Louis to stay one game behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Top 5 Performances From Yesterday

1. Fausto Carmona, Indians SP: 0 runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and the CG shutout in Cleveland's 2-0 win over Minnesota.

2.  Carlos Zambrano, Cubs SP: 0 runs on three hits with nine Ks over 8.2 IP in Chicago's 4-0 win over Milwaukee.

3. Geno Smith, West Virginia QB: 32 of 45 for 316 yards and a TD in No. 23 West Virginia’s 24-21 overtime win at Marshall.

4. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies SS: 3-for-3 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in Colorado's 13-4 win over Arizona.

5. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays RF: 2-for-4 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs in Toronto's 9-8 loss to Tampa Bay.

5 Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1. Brett Cecil, Blue Jays SP: seven runs on hits hits in two IP in Toronto's 9-8 loss to Tampa Bay.

2. Micah Hoffpauir, Cubs 1B: 0-for-5 with 4 Ks in Chicago's 4-0 win over Milwaukee.

3. Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks 3B: 0-for-3 with three Ks in Arizona's 13-4 loss to Colorado

4. Francisco Cordero, Reds RP: Two runs on four hits in 0.2 IP in Cincinnati's 4-3 win over Pittsburgh.

5. Rickie Weeks: 0-for-4 with three Ks in Milwaukee's 4-0 loss to Chicago.

Top 5 Events To Follow Today

1. NCAA FB: No. 12 Miami (FL) (1-0) at No. 2 Ohio State (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN: The Hurricanes and Buckeyes meet in Columbus featuring two of the more athletic QBs in the nation in Jacory Harris and Terrelle Pryor

2. NCAA FB: No. 17 Florida State (1-0) at No. 10 Oklahoma (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2: FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher’s first big test as the Seminoles travel to Norman to take on the Sooners

3. MLB: Cardinals (73-66) at Braves (81-61), 4:00 p.m., FOX: Atlanta tries to keep pace with Philadelphia in the NL East; (Westbrook (STL) vs. Hanson (ATL))

4. MLB: Giants (80-62) at Padres (79-61), 4:00 p.m., FOX: The winner of today’s game will be the leader in the NL West; (Good matchup: Bumgarner (SF) vs. Stauffer (SD))

5. NCAA FB: No. 18 Penn State (1-0) at No. 1 Alabama (1-0), 7:00 p.m., ESPN: The sixth- and eighth-winningest programs in college football history renew acquaintances for the first time in 20 years