Daniel Descalso homered and smashed a game-tying two-run single in the ninth inning on Friday, leading the Cardinals back from the brink of elimination to defeat the Nationals 9-7 in the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS. Descalso finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI. He clubbed a solo home run off Tyler Clippard leading off the eighth inning, cutting the Nationals lead to 6-5. He then stepped to the dish in a critical situation in the ninth inning against Drew Storen with the bases loaded and two outs, while trailing 7-5, and he came through with a game-tying two-run single. Pete Kozma then followed with his own epic contribution, smashing a two-run single to right to take a 9-7 advantage, leading the Cardinals back to the NLCS where they'll open a series against the Giants on Sunday.