OAKLAND, Calif. Stan Smith Kopen Belgie . -- A pair of Oakland rookies, one heralded and the other a relative unknown, provided everything the Athletics needed to tie their AL division series with Detroit at one game apiece. Stephen Vogt hit a bases-loaded single in the ninth inning after Sonny Gray matched zeros with Justin Verlander in a sensational playoff debut, lifting Oakland over the Tigers 1-0 on Saturday night. Yoenis Cespedes and Seth Smith hit back-to-back singles against loser Al Alburquerque to start the winning rally, then Josh Reddick was intentionally walked before Rick Porcello entered to face Vogt. He lined a clean single past drawn-in shortstop Jose Iglesias and into left-centre. "Its just really nice to come out in front of these home fans in a must-win game and come through," Gray said. "It was awesome." The AL West champion As had eight walk-off wins during the regular season, then did it again at the perfect time on baseballs October stage. It was Vogts first career game-winning hit -- and it came after he lost a 10-pitch battle with Verlander in the seventh for his third strikeout of the night. Grant Balfour pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the win, but it was Gray and Vogt who took celebratory whipped cream pies to the face. Game 3 is Monday afternoon in Detroit. Jarrod Parker, who pitched Game 1 at Comerica Park last year and lost to Verlander, goes for the As against 14-game winner Anibal Sanchez. "I knew there was going to be a lot of adrenaline and how I was able to harness that adrenaline was going to be a big factor in the game," Gray said. "It was awesome because I was still able to locate my pitches without being too shaky." This marked the first game in post-season history in which both starters had nine strikeouts and no runs allowed. Alburquerque struck out two in the eighth. He is still remembered for kissing the ball while recording an out in the ninth inning of a Game 2 win last October. The As got him this time. Grey hung tough with a masterful Verlander in a thrilling pitchers duel between the rookie making his 11th career start and the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner. Each calmly worked out of tough jams, wore their emotions on their sleeves -- with fist pumps and cheers -- and set down the heart of the others batting order. Grey struck out nine in eight dazzling innings, allowing four hits. Verlander, who beat the As twice in the ALDS last fall, struck out 11 to give him 33 Ks in his past three post-season outings against Oakland. "Verlander was absolutely terrific," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "This is post-season pitching. Thats what you saw tonight at its absolute best. Everybody had to battle at their best tonight because both pitchers were outstanding." At the start of Verlanders remarkable 2011 season, Gray was finishing up at Vanderbilt before becoming the 18th overall draft pick. Brandon Moss drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and Reddick singled two outs later with Moss beating a throw to third and Reddick advancing. That gave the As their best scoring chance of the night against Verlander, with two Tigers relievers warming. Vogt fouled off five straight pitches, laid off a ball and fouled another before ball two. He fouled one more but then struck out on a high 98 mph fastball, and Verlander marched off the mound pumping both fists. "The at-bat with Verlander, he kept coming at me with everything hes got," Vogt said. "Obviously I didnt come through, ended up with a punchout. I felt pretty good about that at-bat. ... You come up with bases loaded in the ninth, thats what you dream of." Facing his biggest jam of the night with runners at the corners and one out in the fifth, Gray got Austin Jackson to swing on a 3-0 count and later struck him out. Vogt also fired a perfect throw to second base from behind the plate to get Iglesias for an inning-ending double play. The As then missed a key opportunity in the fifth after Cespedes and Smith hit consecutive singles to start the inning. Reddick popped up a bunt attempt and Vogt struck out. Verlander then retired No. 9 hitter Eric Sogard for his ninth strikeout, emphatically pumping his right arm as he walked off the mound. With a pretty curveball and a fastball firing up to 97 mph, Verlander looked every bit the ace after an up-and-down year in which he managed only one win over his final 10 regular-season starts. Leyland chose Max Scherzer for Game 1, then insisted Verlanders 13-12 record was hardly indicative of his pitching despite a couple of rough patches. Grey could have been rattled when Torii Hunter pointed at him after the rookie threw high and inside in the top of the third. Hunter stepped well out of the batters box before returning and striking out on three straight pitches. Gray then fanned 2012 Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to strike out the side in order. In the sixth, Gray went 1-2-3 on seven pitches against Hunter, Cabrera and Prince Fielder -- and walked off the mound to chants of "Sonny! Sonny!" Jackson, the Tigers leadoff hitter, finished with four of Detroits nine strikeouts. Six of Verlanders first seven Ks this time were called, and he seemed unfazed by a rowdy sellout crowd of 48,292 on its feet and swirling yellow towels all night. The right-hander ran his post-season scoreless streak against the As to 22 innings. As manager Bob Melvin was thrilled to see Vogt -- one of three catchers on the roster -- do a little bit of everything. "Thats why we have three here right now. If I could have 10, Id have 10," he said. NOTES: Previously, the only rookie with eight or more scoreless innings and at least nine strikeouts in a post-season game was Mike Boddicker in the 1983 ALCS for Baltimore vs. the White Sox. ... Cabrera has reached base safely in all 26 of his post-season games with the Tigers, a franchise best. ... Neither team planned a workout for Sundays off day at Comerica Park given the travel with a day game next. ... The As had their second-warmest game of the year with a first-pitch temperature of 82 degrees. Deerupt Runner Schoenen . - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. Yeezy Boost 350 Belgie . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. http://www.yeezybelgie.com/ .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams.Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No. 4 Duke posted a 93-73 win over Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon supplied 13 points apiece for the Blue Devils (7-0), who won an NCAA-best 113th straight home game against a non-conference opponent and extended the nations longest active home winning streak to 37 games. Kyle Wilson scored 17 points in the first half for Army (5-1), but was held to two in the second half. Final Score: (7) Texas 55, (24) Connecticut 54 Storrs, CT (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Holmes drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 2.2 seconds remaining to lift seventh-ranked Texas to a 55-54 victory over No. 24 Connecticut on Sunday. Ryan Boatright missed the second of two free throws with 15 seconds to play, leaving Connecticut with a 54-52 lead. After a timeout by each team with 4.4 seconds left, Boatright couldnt fight through a screen on the inbounds pass and fell to the floor, leaving Holmes wide open in the corner for his winning shot. Holmess scored 13 points for the Longhorns (6-0), who played their first true road game of the season. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Kopen Goedkoop. Boatright, who had to be helped off the floor after the game, scored 24 to lead Connecticut (3-2), which hadnt played since a loss to West Virginia last Sunday in the title game of the Puerto Rico Tip-off. Final Score: (11) Kansas 61, (20) Michigan State 56 Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Perry Ellis had 17 points and nine rebounds as No. 11 Kansas defeated 20th-ranked Michigan State 61-56 in the championship game of the Orlando Classic. The Spartans had missed eight straight tries from beyond the arc before Travis Trice pulled up from the left wing in transition and nailed a 3-pointer to pull them within 59-56 with 1:36 remaining. Frank Mason turned the ball over at the other end, but Branden Dawson was off the mark on a jumper and then failed to convert a left-handed layup after corralling his own miss. Jamari Traylor sunk two free throws with 30 seconds left and Trice was unable to connect from deep down the other end of the floor to seal the outcome. ' ' '