Rookie Nick Kurtz walloped a two-run walk-off homer with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Athletics a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night at West Sacramento, California.

Brent Rooker opened the ninth by drawing a walk against Bryan Abreu (1-3). Kurtz then jumped on a 2-1 slider and bashed it 447 feet over the fence in right-center to give the Athletics a dramatic victory in the opener of a four-game series.

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— Hicks can be reached at phicks@tylerpaper.com

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