NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning and the New York Mets earned a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Soto’s shot off JoJo Romero (0-2) allowed the Mets to avoid being swept for the sixth time this season.

Soto’s 14th homer of the season was the sixth of the game.

Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a two-out blast in the first before the Mets responded with Bo Bichette’s two-run shot and Jared Young also went deep in the bottom half to give New York a 3-1 lead.

St. Louis answered with Lars Nootbaar’s solo shot and Jimmy Crooks’ two-run homer in the second to give the Cards a 4-3 lead on an afternoon in which the first-pitch temperature was 91 degrees and the wind was blowing out to right at 8 mph. Every homer Thursday except Bichette’s went to right field.

Young accounted for the game’s only non-homer RBI with a game-tying fifth-inning single.

Mets starter Christian Scott gave up four runs and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings. The Cardinals’ Hunter Dobbins allowed three runs with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Brooks Raley (2-1) threw a hitless seventh. Devin Williams earned his ninth save with a perfect ninth.

The announced crowd of 37,019 offered loud ovations in the middle of the third inning and prior to the top of the eighth, when the scoreboard aired replays of OG Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in that gave the Knicks a 107-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

Up next

Cardinals: Continue a six-game road trip Friday, when RHP Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.42 ERA) starts against the Twins and RHP Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.07 ERA)

Mets: RHP Nolan McLean (3-4, 3.98 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Atlanta Braves, who have yet to announce a starter.

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