Ryan Ludwick hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to break a tie and send the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the visiting New York Mets on Sunday.

Adam Wainwright (3-0) pitched a complete-game four-hitter and struck out nine. He retired the final 11 New York hitters.

Wainwright opened the decisive eighth inning with a double down the left-field line off Mets reliever Tobi Stoner (0-1). With two away, Ludwick hit his game-winning shot off Ryota Igarashi.

The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead, with all three runs scoring on the same second-inning play.

The bases were loaded with one out when Angel Pagan singled in two runs. Pagan was stranded between first and second but Wainwright made an errant throw to first that allowed Gary Matthews to score.

St. Louis got the three runs back in the fifth on Colby Rasmus’ three-run homer. Ludwick walked and Matt Holliday singled before Rasmus hammered a ball over the right-field fence off Mets starter John Maine.

Sunday’s game last 2 hours and 43 minutes, more than four hours less than the 6-hour, 53-minute 20-inning contest the two teams played on Saturday.