Sports / MLB Kearns Lifts Nats Over Pirates RBI-single gives Washington 3-2 win By Jamie Buss, Newser Staff Posted May 2, 2008 12:26 AM CDT Copied Washington Nationals, from left to right, Ryan Zimmerman, Jon Rauch, Austin Kearns, and Willie Harris celebrate their win against the Pittsburgh Pirates last night in Washington. The Nats won 3-2. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Austin Kearns broke a tie with a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning, and the Washington Nationals ran their winning streak to a season-high four games last night with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luis Ayala (1-1) pitched the eighth to get the victory in a game played at a torrid pace - 2 hours, 4 minutes. Jon Rauch worked the ninth for his sixth save, doubling his career total from the start of the season. He's serving as Washington's closer while Chad Cordero nurses an arm injury. Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit homered for the Pirates, while Wil Nieves had a two-run single for the Nationals, who have won seven their last night games. (More MLB stories.) Report an error