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Votto lifts Reds past Nationals in 11 innings

Apr 16, 2012 - 12:03 AM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Joey Votto crushed the go-ahead two-run double in the top of the 11th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds picked up their first road win of the season and avoided a series sweep with an 8-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-6 with a grand slam and two runs scored, while Ryan Hanigan and Scott Rolen each knocked in a run for the Reds, who had lost five of seven coming in. Zack Cozart added three hits and two runs scored for Cincinnati.

Jose Arredondo (1-0) tossed a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win and Sean Marshall finished off the Nats in the 11th to nail down his first save of the season.

Ian Desmond went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and Adam LaRoche had two hits, including a two-run single for Washington, which had its five-game winning streak snapped.

Tyler Clippard (1-1) gave up three runs on four hits in the 11th to take the loss.

With the game tied at five, the Reds broke it open with three runs in the 11th. Drew Stubbs began the frame with a single up the middle and Cozart ripped a single two batters later to put two runners on base. Votto then rocketed a double over the head of Rick Ankiel in center field to give the Reds a 7-5 lead, and Rolen then drove in Votto with a single to cap the scoring.

"I don't think I've got a very good track record against him, and I don't particularly like facing him," Votto said of facing Clippard. "So to come through in that situation accompanied with a win means a lot to me and I'm sure the team."

Marshall gave up two hits in the bottom of the inning, but escaped unscathed to finish off the Nationals.

Earlier, Cincinnati jumped on top with four runs in the top of the first inning. Cozart started the rally with a one-out single up the middle and Rolen reached on a throwing error by Desmond to put two men on base. Jay Bruce then worked a walk and Ludwick followed by hammering a fastball from Nationals starter Ross Detwiler over the wall in straightaway center field to give the Reds an early 4-0 lead.

Cincinnati added to its lead in the fourth after Ludwick and Chris Heisey smacked back-to-back singles and Hanigan brought home Ludwick with a single up the middle to make it a 5-0 lead for the Reds.

Washington finally got on the board with three runs in the home fourth. The first three hitters got on base for the Nats, as Desmond and Danny Espinosa stroked back-to-back base hits and Ryan Zimmerman walked to load the bags.

LaRoche followed by flaring one out to right field that dropped in fair, scoring Desmond and Espinosa to make it 5-2, and Zimmerman came home on a Mark DeRosa groundout two batters later to make it 5-3.

The Nats drew closer in the fifth when pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina drew a one-out walk and came all the way around to score on a double by Desmond to make it a one-run affair.

Washington plated the tying run in the seventh when Ankiel led off the frame with a double into right field and came around to score on a single up the middle by Desmond.

"We're going game by game," Desmond said. "We want to play good baseball everyday and in the end if we win the series that's great, but we understand that we're not going to win every single one, we just want to go out and play well."

Game Notes

It was Ludwick's second career grand slam...The Reds went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 men, while Washington went just 2- for-13 with men in scoring position and stranded six...Detwiler gave up five runs -- one earned -- on six hits and two walks over five innings, while Reds starter Mike Leake yielded five runs on five hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings.