St. Louis, MO

Third baseman David Freese drove in four runs, including a key two-run homer in the sixth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals pushed the NLDS into a deciding game five following a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday in Game 4 at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals live another day and perhaps extended Albert Pujols' stay for one more game after Freese peppered Roy Oswalt's Phillies with four RBI to force a winner-take-all showdown Friday night.

Freese, who batted .297 with 10 homers and 55 RBI in the regular-season, delivered his finest performance this postseason as he almost single-handily lifted the Cards to victory.

With Pujols miserably struggling at the plate and the Cards down 2-1 in the 4th inning, Freese ripped a two-run double to help his team take the lead for the first time in the match.

Then in the sixth inning, Freese hammered out a two-run blast to give the Cards a 5-2 lead.

The Phillies, which took Game 1 via 11-6 rout and Game 3 via 3-2 squeaker, had a solid start with star sluggers Chase Utley and Hunter Pence each driving in a run in the first inning.

Third baseman Michael Martinez tried to spark a late rally for the Phillies but his effort was not enough as Cards closer Jason Motte sealed the deal for his team in the final inning.

Cards starter Edwin Jackson earned the win after allowing five hits and a couple of runs in six innings. Meanwhile, Phillies starter Roy Oswalt struck out five batters but allowed six hits and five earned runs in six innings.

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