WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Daylen Lile drove in two runs with a third-inning triple and CJ Abrams hit a solo home run in the fifth inning as the Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on Saturday evening at Nationals Park.

The victory before 30,032 fans in 2 hours, 35 minutes evened the three-game series after Arizona won the opener 3-2 on Friday. Washington improved to 53-52, while the Diamondbacks fell to 55-50.

Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Ryan Waldschmidt singled and Corbin Carroll was hit by a pitch. Geraldo Perdomo sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Gabriel Moreno then lined a single to center field, scoring Waldschmidt and Carroll. Moreno was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play.

The Nationals answered immediately in the bottom half. James Wood struck out to start the inning, but Curtis Mead walked. Andrés Chaparro doubled to left field, putting runners on second and third. Abrams followed with a double to center field, scoring Mead and Chaparro to tie the game 2-2. Dylan Crews walked and Jacob Young singled to load the bases. Lile then tripled to right field, clearing the bases and giving Washington a 4-2 lead.

Washington added a critical insurance run in the fifth inning. Abrams led off with a home run to right-center field, his 25th of the season, pushing the lead to 5-2.

Arizona attempted a comeback in the seventh inning. With one out, Tim Tawa doubled and James McCann singled to right field to score Tawa, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Max Kepler grounded out to end the threat.

The Diamondbacks managed only six hits in the game. Moreno had two hits and two RBIs. Waldschmidt singled and scored. McCann singled and drove in a run. Tawa doubled and scored. Arizona stranded five runners.

Washington collected nine hits. Abrams had two hits, including the home run and a double, and drove in two runs. Lile had one hit, the three-run triple. Chaparro doubled. Young singled twice. Keibert Ruiz doubled. The Nationals left nine runners on base.

Diamondbacks starter Mitch Bratt took the loss in his first decision of the season. Bratt, who entered with no wins and no losses, allowed five runs on six hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out two.

Nationals starter Foster Griffin earned his 12th win against two losses. Griffin pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked one. Eddy Yean threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Clayton Beeter recorded his ninth save of the season, working a perfect ninth inning with no hits and no walks.

The game’s pivotal moment occurred in the bottom of the third inning. After Arizona had seized a two-run lead, Washington’s four-run rally erased the advantage and put the Nationals in front for good. Lile’s triple to the right-field corner was the key blow, driving in two runs and giving the Nationals a lead they would not relinquish.

Defensively, the Nationals turned two double plays, including a critical one in the seventh inning that ended Arizona’s scoring threat. Ildemaro Vargas led off the seventh with a single, but Nolan Arenado grounded into a double play one batter later. Tawa and McCann kept the inning alive, but the double play helped limit the damage to one run.

Both bullpens performed well after the starting pitchers departed. Yean and Beeter combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Washington. Arizona reliever Gerardo Carrillo threw three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and walking two while striking out three. Carrillo entered in the fifth inning after Bratt allowed the home run to Abrams and retired six of the first seven batters he faced.

The Diamondbacks had opportunities early but could not capitalize. In the second inning, Nolan Arenado walked and Tim Tawa singled, putting two on with one out. But James McCann flied out to end the inning. Arizona went down in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings before the seventh-inning rally.

Abrams’ home run in the fifth inning proved to be the difference. It extended Washington’s lead to three runs and marked the 11th time this season Abrams has homered in a game the Nationals have won.

Washington’s lineup got contributions from the bottom of the order. Young, batting seventh, had two hits and scored a run. Ruiz, batting eighth, doubled. Lile, batting sixth, delivered the game’s biggest hit.

Arizona’s top of the order struggled. Carroll struck out twice and grounded out once. Perdomo grounded out and sacrificed. Moreno had two hits but was thrown out on the basepaths in the third inning, ending what could have been a bigger inning.

The game was the second of a four-game series between the two teams. Arizona came into the game having won four of its previous six games, while Washington had won four of its previous five.

Arizona will send a right-hander to the mound in Sunday’s series finale. Washington will counter with a left-hander. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Washington Nationals 5. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Arizona with a 53.40 percent probability to win. Washington had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of eight runs went over the over/under line of nine.