Reds rally to beat Padres 3-2 on Will Benson's bases-loaded single in the 9th

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati’s Will Benson hit a bases-loaded single off San Diego closer Robert Suarez in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday to lift the Reds to a 3-2 victory.

Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz led off the ninth with an infield single that originally was scored an error by Padres third baseman Tyler Wade.

De La Cruz scored the tying run on a one-out RBI single by Spencer Steer, and after Jose Trevino singled to load the bases, Benson ripped a single down the right-field line for his third hit of the game to score Gavin Lux and lift the Reds to the victory in the rubber match of the three-game series.

It was the third walk-off win of the year for the Reds and the second of their six-game homestand.

It was just the third blown save of the season for Suarez (2-4), who entered the game as MLB’s save leader with 23.

De La Cruz tied the game in the sixth inning with an RBI single, but San Diego reclaimed the lead in the seventh on Jose Iglesias’ RBI fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.

It was a rare late-inning comeback for the Reds, who came into the game with a 1-34 record when trailing after seven innings.

Cincinnati closer Emilio Pagan (1-2) earned the win after working the ninth inning.

San Diego had been 37-2 when leading after eight.

Xander Bogaerts had a homer and two doubles for the Padres.

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, Reds reliever Scott Barlow got Manny Machado to foul out with the bases loaded.

The Padres stranded 13 runners and went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Reds RHP Chase Burns (0-0, 5.40 ERA) opposes Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (7-4, 2.06). Padres RHP Matt Waldron (0-0, 0.00) will face Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (7-3, 2.45) in Philadelphia.

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San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts reacts after hitting a double in the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts, right, is congratulated by Jose Iglesias after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson, center, is congratulated by teammates after hitting a walkoff single in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson, center, is congratulated by teammates after hitting a walkoff single in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson celebrates as he rounds first base after hitting a walk-off single in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)