OGDEN, Utah — Seneca Valley graduate and former Butler BlueSox catcher Kevan Smith went 4-for-5 with four RBI in helping Great Falls (Mont.) post a 9-7 victory over Ogden (Utah) Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Pioneer League Championship Series.

The next two games of the best-of-three series are scheduled for tonight and Friday in Great Falls. Great Falls is a Class A team in the Chicago White Sox farm system.

Smith homered, doubled and had two singles in the game. His RBI single in the eighth inning was the game-winning hit and he is batting .421 this postseason.

Pirates pick up catcher PagnozziPITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed catcher Matt Pagnozzi off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.The 28-year-old played in seven games with the Rockies this season and hit .286 with two RBIs. At Triple-A Colorado Springs, he batted .275 with three home runs and 29 RBIs in 54 games.Pagnozzi was expected to join the Pirates on Thursday night in Los Angeles when they open a three-game series with the Dodgers.

Phillies clinch NL playoff berthHOUSTON — No champagne. No wild celebration. The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason for the fifth straight year, and that’s exactly what they expected.Roy Halladay pitched his 20th career shutout and Philadelphia became the first team to reach the playoffs this season with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros.The NL East leaders clinched at least a wild-card berth and will take another run at a ring in October.

Tigers’ win streak reaches 12 gamesCHICAGO — Carlos Guillen singled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and Detroit extended its longest winning streak in 77 years, rallying past the Chicago White Sox 6-5 for its 12th straight victory.Detroit’s magic number to clinch the AL Central was reduced to two when Cleveland lost 9-1 at Texas.

Rockies’ Alfonzo suspended twiceNEW YORK — Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo become the first player suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs under the Major League Baseball testing program when the commissioner’s office announced a 100-game penalty.Alfonzo, a 32-year-old backup in his sixth big league season, was suspended for 50 games in April 2008 while a member of the Giants.

28 former players suing NFLPAMINNEAPOLIS — Twenty-eight former NFL players have filed a class-action federal lawsuit against the NFL Players Association, seeking at least $5 million in damages.They’re alleging current players interfered with negotiations on the new collective bargaining agreement and kept money from the retirees.Attorney Shawn Stuckey said the group includes 25 Pro Football Hall of Famers and a player from every decade since the 1940s. Former Minnesota defensive end Carl Eller, an outspoken proponent of better retiree benefits, leads the list.The suit filed in Minneapolis also names NFLPA DeMaurice Smith, New England quarterback Tom Brady and former linebacker Mike Vrabel.