WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Rick Ankiel doubled in the go-ahead score during a five-run ninth inning Thursday, sending the St. Louis Cardinals on their way to a 9-4 win over Washington.
The Nationals, winners of only five games all season, played St. Louis to a standstill for eight innings before crumbling in the ninth. St. Louis scored one of its ninth-inning runs on an error and another on a balk.
Chris Duncan drew a one-out walk in the ninth off Julian Tavares (0-2) and came all the way around to score on Ankiel's double to left. Joe Thurston then walked and Jason LaRue was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
An infield single by Tyler Greene, who was making his major league debut, scored Ankiel and a throwing error by third baseman Jesus Flores on the same play brought in Thurston.
Joel Hanrahan replaced Tavarez and promptly committed a balk, allowing LaRue to score. A sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Brian Barden accounted for the final run of the inning.
All of that made a winner out of Chris Perez (1-1), who recorded the final two outs in the eighth.
Washington's Ryan Zimmerman extended his league-leading hitting streak to 19 games with a two-run homer.
