The St. Louis Cardinals struck early and packed on runs to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Wednesday night and advance to the National League Championship Series.
The Pirates and Cardinals were locked in a 2-2 tie going into a decisive Game 5. St. Louis jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the second inning and another in the sixth. Pittsburgh managed to score a run in the seventh, but the Cardinals racked up three more runs in the eighth and put the came out of reach.
St. Louis will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to kick off the best-of-seven NLCS. The winner will advance to the World Series.
[AP]