SAN FRANCISCO, May 31 (UPI) -- Rich Aurilia's first home run of the season lifted the San Francisco Giants to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday.
Aurilia came in as a defensive replacement in the fifth inning and went 2-for-2, stroking a leadoff homer in the seventh inning that broke a 3-3 tie and proved to be the game winner.
Merkin Valdez (2-0) set the Cardinals down in order in the seventh to earn the win with help from Brian Wilson's 12th save of the season.
Adam Wainwright (5-3) took the loss after giving up 10 hits and four runs in seven innings.
Nick Stavinoha accounted for two of the Cardinals' runs with an RBI double in the fifth that gave St. Louis a brief 3-1 lead. The Giants tied the game and set the stage for Aurilia's heroics with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on Edgar Renteria's ground out RBI and Pablo Sandoval's RBI single with two outs.
The Giants added an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Bengie Molina.
