WASHINGTON (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of momentum, the Washington Nationals erupted for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to overcome a three-run deficit and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 on Monday night at Nationals Park.

A crowd of 12,319 watched as the Nationals, who had been held to just three hits since the first inning, sent 10 men to the plate in the eighth and delivered a barrage of extra-base hits to turn a 6-3 nail-biter into a decisive victory. The comeback handed the Cardinals their third loss in four games and evened the three-game series opener.

The most important part of the game was unequivocally the Nationals’ bottom of the eighth inning. Entering the frame trailing 6-3, the rally began modestly before exploding into a game-altering outburst. After a sharp flyout, consecutive singles by Drew Millas and pinch-hitter Jorbit Vivas set the stage for James Wood. The powerful right fielder, who had already driven in a run with a first-inning groundout, connected on a towering three-run homer to dead center field, instantly erasing the Cardinals’ lead and tying the game.

The Nationals were far from finished. Curtis Mead followed with a double, bringing Brady House to the plate. House, who had doubled twice earlier in the game, launched a two-run shot to center, giving Washington its first lead since the first inning at 8-6. After a strikeout, shortstop CJ Abrams capped the historic inning with a solo blast to right field, providing the final 9-6 margin.

The late offensive explosion made a winner of Cionel Pérez (1-1), who pitched a scoreless top of the eighth. The loss was charged to Cardinals reliever Matt Svanson (0-1), who was tasked with protecting the lead in the fateful eighth but failed to record an out, surrendering the singles to Millas and Vivas before Wood’s game-tying homer.

The game began as a pitcher’s duel between Washington’s Zack Littell and St. Louis’ Andre Pallante. Littell, named the top star for Washington, delivered five strong innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Pallante was equally effective, matching five innings and yielding just two runs on three hits.

Washington struck first in the opening inning. James Wood singled, Luis García Jr. walked, and after a groundout advanced both runners, Daylen Lile and Nasim Nuñez each drove in a run with groundouts and a single, respectively, for a 2-0 lead.

St. Louis chipped away with a single run in the fifth. Thomas Saggese led off with a double, advanced on a groundout, and scored on Alec Burleson’s fielder’s choice. The Cardinals then took their first lead in the sixth. After a walk to Nolan Gorman, Ramón Urías connected for a two-run homer to center field off reliever Ken Waldichuk, putting St. Louis ahead 3-2.

Washington tied it in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Jacob Young, but the Cardinals responded with what seemed to be a decisive rally in the top of the eighth. Jordan Walker led off with a solo homer. Later, Urías, who finished 3 for 4 with a homer, double and three RBIs, doubled in a run and scored on a sacrifice bunt to extend the lead to 6-3.

The Nationals’ bullpen, however, stabilized as Pérez worked a clean eighth to set the stage for the comeback against the St. Louis relief corps. JoJo Romero had escaped a jam in the seventh, but Svanson and the pitchers who followed could not contain the Washington offense in the eighth.

Offensively for Washington, Brady House led the way, going 3 for 5 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs. James Wood’s three-run homer was his only hit in three official at-bats, but he walked twice and drove in three total runs. For St. Louis, aside from Urías’ big night, Jordan Walker went 2 for 5 with a solo homer.

The victory improved Washington’s record to 4-6, while St. Louis fell to .500 at 5-5. The game time was 2 hours, 56 minutes. The teams will continue their series on Tuesday night at Nationals Park.

According to Interstat, the final score defied projections. Their game simulator had predicted a 4-3 Washington win, while their ELO system gave St. Louis a 53.2% probability of victory. The Cardinals had also been installed as pregame favorites with a spread of -1.5. The combined 15 runs sailed over the pregame over/under line of 8.5.