"The second roar came from inside the Washington Nationals' clubhouse, as the players chose procrastination over packing for home. They glued their eyes to the flat-screen televisions ringing the room, together, watching the Masters. When a putt lipped out, their collective shout — "Ooohhhhh!" — and the ensuing taunts and laughter could be heard down the hall.

The first roar was earlier, when Ivan Rodriguez stood on first base and raised his right fist into the air. He had delivered the most crucial play on a day packed with them, the go-ahead single that keyed the Nationals' 7-3, 11-inning, series-clinching victory over the New York Mets before 35,157 at Citi Field. Inside the Nationals' dugout, players stormed the top step, high-fived and hollered.

"The place went crazy," first baseman Adam LaRoche said.

With Ryan Zimmerman sidelined by an abdominal strain that may linger, the Nationals won despite entering with the eighth inning with one hit and a 3-1 deficit. They used 18 players in their third extra-inning game this season and received contributions from almost all of them.

Laynce Nix followed Rodriguez's go-ahead hit in the 11th with a titanic three-run homer. Jason Marquis struck out nine in six innings. Four relievers allowed one hit and one walk while whiffing eight in five scoreless innings. Even Jordan Zimmermann, Friday's starting pitcher, moved the go-ahead run to second with a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt.

"It was kind of a textbook game," Manager Jim Riggleman said.

The Nationals finished their first road trip of the season 3-3, and they'll come home to Washington 4-5 for the season, even in the standings with the Mets and ahead of the Atlanta Braves. They won three of four games, two in extra innings, after dropping the first two.

"It shows a lot about this team and the direction we're headed," Marquis said. "We feel good about ourselves right now. We have that attitude that we have a chance to win every day, every time we step on the field."

They won Sunday when, in the 11th inning, they finally converted on one of the scoring chances they created. Adam LaRoche led off with a single, bringing up the pitcher's spot in the lineup. Riggleman did not want to use another player from his bench, already diminished by Zimmerman's injury. He figured Zimmermann, his fastest starting pitcher, would be least likely to bunt into a double play. Zimmermann grabbed a bat and walked to the plate. "