By MATT PIKE
Juan Soto hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of a slugfest that saw a combined five home runs, and the New York Mets earned a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, snapping the Redbirds win streak and helping the Mets avoid being swept.
Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a two-out blast in the first inning, his third straight game with a home run also extending his hitting streak to 11 games, before the Mets responded in the bottom half of the inning with Bo Bichette's two-run shot, scoring Carson Benge, and a solo home run from Jared Young to give New York a 3-1 lead.
The Cardinals answered in the second inning with their own three run inning, continuing the home run derby as Lars Nootbaar's solo shot and Jimmy Crooks' two-run home run, driving home Masyn Winn, gave the Redbirds a 4-3 lead. Young accounted for the game’s only non-homer RBI with a game-tying fifth-inning single, bringing home Soto.
Soto’s shot off JoJo Romero in the seventh inning allowed the Mets to avoid being swept for the sixth time this season. Romero fell to 0-2 on the season out of the bullpen, pitching 1.1 innings and giving up the home run as the lone hit, while striking out one.
At the plate, Nootbaar was 2-for-4 with a double and the home run, driving in one run. Burleson was 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, while Crooks was also 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
Up next, St. Louis continues its six game road trip and travels to Minnesota tomorrow. Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.42 ERA, 47K's) starts for the Cardinals against Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.07 ERA, 84K's) for the Twins. First pitch is at 7:10pm, coverage begins at 7 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).
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