PITTSBURGH -- The ball left Travis Sniders bat and he took off with his head down. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had imagined driving the ball into the Allegheny River since he joined the team last summer. In Sniders daydreams, the homer always went down the right field line, the shortest route out of PNC Park. Reality turned out to be even sweeter. And longer. Sniders 458-foot longball over the bushes in right-centre propelled the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. The two-run shot was Sniders first homer since last August, an eternity for a guy once considered a power-hitting prospect. Thats why he didnt look up. Snider thought he had homered earlier in the season and flipped his bat in celebration only to end up with a double. Not this time. He sprinted around the bases without so much as peeking from under his cap to see where the ball landed. "For me its not how far it goes," Snider said. "Its just about getting it over the fence. Its been a struggle, a long nine months or so." Snider finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, including the 31st homer to end up in the river in the 12-year history of the ballpark. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Garrett Jones and Russell Martin all had two hits as Pittsburgh won for the sixth time in seven games. Francisco Liriano (2-0) allowed one run on six hits over 5 2-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three. The veteran left-hander reached 96 mph with his fastball and overcame a sloppy first inning before settling down. "I just try to stay calm, not try to do too much, hit my spot and just focus on location," Liriano said. "Pitching is all about location. Im locating my fastball a lot better and my slider is working for me so far." Burgos gave up three runs in five innings but Milwaukees offence sputtered. The Brewers have lost 11 of 13. "I know were going to be fine," Milwaukee centre fielder Carlos Gomez said. "This is a problem that can be fixed because we have good players. Its tough now, though. Its embarrassing. We have a lot of expectations on this team and were not playing up to them." The Pirates sure are. Pittsburgh moved to 24-17 with the win, matching the franchises best start through the first quarter of the season in 21 years. The 1992 Pirates also began the season 24-17 and finished with 96 victories while capturing the NL East. Its also the last time Pittsburgh finished the season with a winning record. "Were in a good place right now," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. The romp capped a dramatic turnaround in one of baseballs most lopsided rivalries. Milwaukee has dominated the Pirates over the last six years, coming into the series 71-25 against Pittsburgh since 2007. Milwaukee won the opener on Monday before the Pirates responded with a 4-3 win on Tuesday in 12 innings. A 3-1 victory followed on Wednesday before Thursdays rout, the first time the Pirates have won three straight against the Brewers in the same series since Aug. 16-18, 2009. Liriano, who signed a two-year free agent contract in the off-season, sparkled in his home debut. The veteran left-hander missed the seasons first six weeks while recovering from a broken right arm. He sailed through his first start, an 11-2 win over the New York Mets last Saturday. Things were a little tighter this time around. The Brewers pushed a run across in the first on an RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy, an inning that could have been bigger if leadoff hitter Norichika Aoki hadnt been gunned down trying to steal second after a leadoff walk and McCutchen didnt rob Ryan Braun of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall in centre. The veteran left-hander seemed to settle down immediately. He struck out four straight batters at one point and worked out of a trouble spot in the fifth when Jonathan Lucroy flied out to left with two on to preserve a 1-all game. Snider broke the tie in the bottom of the inning. Marte led off with an infield hit then Snider crushed an 85 mph fastball. "I threw a fastball up and down the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it," Burgos said. Burgos gave up three runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts, and he remains winless since winning his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on April 20. Milwaukee had a chance in the sixth after Clint Barmes bobbled a potential double-play ball at shortstop. Reliever Justin Wilson came on with two outs and retired pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez on a fly to left with two on to preserve the lead for Liriano. The Pirates broke it open in the sixth off reliever Alfredo Figaro, ripping off five straight hits to score four runs and give the bullpen plenty of cushion on a night closer Jason Grilli was not available after being given the day off by Hurdle. NOTES: Four-time All-Star reliever Francisco Rodriguez, called up from Triple-A Nashville early Thursday, struck out one batter during his perfect inning of work ... Pittsburgh RHP Charlie Morton, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, pitched four innings in a rehab start at Double-A Altoona on Thursday. Morton gave up two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. His next start will come at Triple-A Indianapolis next week ... The Pirates open a three-game series with Houston on Friday. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.28 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Houstons Jordan Lyles (1-1, 8.36) ... Milwaukee travels to St. Louis Friday. Wily Peralta (3-3, 5.40) faces Jaime Garcia (4-2, 2.88). Washington Nationals Jerseys . 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The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Len Maddocks, the former wicketkeeper who played seven Tests for Australia during the 1950s, has died at the age of 90. Maddocks had become Australias oldest living Test cricketer last year after the death of Arthur Morris; the oldest now is opening batsman Ken Archer, 88, who also played five Tests in the 1950s.A short and nimble gloveman whose skill behind the stumps was such that he only once broke a finger, Maddocks was second in line to Gil Langley as Australias wicketkeeper during the mid-1950s. Although he went on numerous tours with the Australian side, Maddocks chances in the Test XI were limited.He made his Test debut at his home ground, the MCG, against England in 1954-55, and top scored with 47 in his first innings. Again Maddocks was Australias top scorer in the first innings of his second Test, with 69 against England in the Adelaide Oval Test of the same series.A well-respected domestic cricketer, he captained both Victoria and Tasmania during a first-class career that spanned more than 20 years. Although Tasmania was not part of the Sheffield Shield competition during his playing time, Maddocks later joined the ACB as a board member and was proud of his work chairing a sub-committee that organised the states inclusion in the Shield.As an administrator, he is also remembered for being Australias team manager on the 1977 Ashes tour of England, when the World Series Cricket split came to light. In later years, Maddocks was philosophical about his involvement at such a fractious time, telling ESPNcricinfo in 2012 that somebody had to [be the manager], and all you can do is your best.Maddocks will also go down in history as the final victim in what came to be known as Lakers match, when England offspinner Jim Laker took 19 wickets in the Manchester Test of 1956. Maddocks was trapped lbw to complete Lakers 10-wicket haul in the second innings.Bradman wouldnt have lasted on that pitch, Maddocks said in 2011. Colin McDonald and Jimmy Burke weree the openers and batted well, and Ian Craig played a reasonable innings.ddddddddddddThe rest of us could hardly put bat to ball.Born in 1926 in Beaconsfield, now an outer south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Leonard Victor Maddocks was raised in the inner-western suburb of Newport. He was one of three brothers, and cricket played a major part in his upbringing: he remembered playing in four separate competitions of a weekend, one each on Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, then another pair of games on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon.After each days play, dad would discuss with us the things that had happened, where other kids had made mistakes and where we could have done better, Maddocks said in 2012. Mum used to go to all of our cricket, all of our football, all of our baseball. Wed set out from home at Newport with the old man out front on his bike, then my older brother Alan, then me, then Dick on our three bikes.Behind us came Mum, and the old man had built a little platform thing on her bike so that she could carry the soft drinks and the afternoon tea and the scorebooks. She had to score. I remember saying to her later in life, how did you put up with us Mum? She said, if I hadnt put up with you and gone with you, I would never have seen any of you! They were great days.Maddocks was also a talented Australian rules footballer and was on North Melbournes list during the 1940s, but never played a senior game. His brother Dick played five senior VFL games for North Melbourne also represented Victoria in cricket, but died of a heart attack at the age of 40. Len Maddocks was more fortunate in his health: he survived a heart attack in his 70s.After his first-class career finished, Maddocks continued playing club cricket until the age of 46. His son Ian, also a wicketkeeper, went on to play 25 matches for Victoria. 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