Nats Win In Dramatic Fashion, Forcing Decisive Game 5

The Nationals scored a dramatic victory Thursday night, as outfielder Jayson Werth clubbed a line drive into bullpen over the left field fence to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning at Nationals Stadium.

The game had been  tied 1-1 since the second inning. Fans were hopeful, but after a devastating loss by the Nationals in game 3, it was tense. Werth, a notoriously patient hitter, stretched his at-bat to 13 pitches before he found one he liked and belted it for a home run.

Fan reaction, as you can imagine was jubilant. Teresa, a Washington transplant from St. Louis, described the view of Werth's home-run hit from the stands.

"He knew it immediately, right? He just dropped his bat," she said. "But we were just sitting there like did you see that? It was amazing."

Jason Eisen, 12, from Rockville stayed out late on a school night with two of his buddies to catch the game.

"It was awesome," he said.

"Oh, it was the best!" said another D.C. fan. "It's my first time ever in the playoffs. Go Nats!"

The Nationals and Cardinals will now square off in a Game 5 series finale at 8:30 p.m. Friday night to decide who has the right to go to face the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series.