ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Alec Burleson hit a go-ahead, two-run homer to cap an eight-run sixth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-7 on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

The Rays had seized a 7-1 lead with a six-run top of the sixth, highlighted by RBI singles from Chandler Simpson, Ben Williamson, Jonny DeLuca and Nick Fortes. The Cardinals immediately answered in the bottom half, sending 12 batters to the plate. Nolan Gorman and Nathan Church delivered two-run singles before Burleson’s blast off Garrett Cleavinger.

Riley O’Brien earned the win in relief. Ryne Stanek got the save. Cleavinger took the loss. Attendance was 45,037. The teams continue the series Saturday.