Sean Casey and the scoreboard operator celebrate after Casey's game-winning hit. (Michael E. Keating photos) | ZOOM |

        Sean Casey isn't the boastful type. But he was full of bravado when Reds manager Bob Boone approached him in the 10th inning of Sunday's game.

        Boone asked Casey what he would do if Montreal manager Frank Robinson walked Barry Larkin and Brady Clark to get to him.

        “I said, "Game over. We're going to Pittsburgh,'” Casey said.

        Cocky — and correct.

        Casey lined the first pitch from Montreal's Graeme Lloyd into center field for a 6-5 victory for the Reds before a crowd of 17,549 on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Cinergy Field.

        Casey's hit put the Reds on an emotional upswing after riding a roller-coaster mood all day.

        “We had to win that game,” Casey said. “Everyone felt that way.”

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Casey in the center of a scrum of teammates. 600 | 800 | 1024

        The victory means the Reds avoided a sweep by baseball's lame ducks, the Expos. It also gave the Reds a split in the season's first six games.

        If that weren't enough, the Reds won it after the bullpen spoiled an excellent start by Joey Hamilton by allowing four runs in the eighth.

        “They're all big,” Boone said. “Especially this one, after blowing that lead. We're a nervous team. But we've got a lot of heart and great chemistry.”

        And the victory came after the Reds saw their star, Ken Griffey Jr., leave the game with an injured knee in the seventh inning.

        Had they lost the game the Reds would have been on the world's longest plane ride to Pittsburgh.

        “To come back and win is big — huge,” Casey said.

Jason LaRue scores the winning run. | ZOOM |

        You could see that during the celebration after LaRue raced home with the winning run in the 10th.

        The Reds looked to be on their way to a routine win. Hamilton became the first Reds pitcher to go seven innings. He allowed one run on five hits and left with a 4-1 lead.

        Hamilton got the first run home himself with a sacrifice fly in the second.

        Griffey made it 2-0 with a home run in the second, his first of the year.

        Hamilton's best pitching came in the fourth. He allowed four straight singles, the last of which made it 2-1.

        But he stopped the bleeding there. He got pitcher Javier Vazquez to pop out to Casey. Then he struck out leadoff hitter Peter Bergeron and Jose Vidro to end the inning.

        “I'm not a strikeout pitcher,” Hamilton said. “But in some situations you need one.”

Joey Hamilton gave up one run in seven innings. | ZOOM |

        The Reds added a run in the seventh to make it 4-1.

        The lead went away in the eighth when Scott Williamson couldn't retire any of the three batters he faced. Closer Danny Graves followed and allowed three singles and it was 5-4, Expos.

        The Reds tied it in the ninth. Larkin, in a 1-for-21 skid, started the inning with a single. Brady Clark bunted him to second. Casey popped out to third. After Aaron Boone's infield single, pinch- hitter Wilton Guerrero grounded a single into right to tie it at 5-5.

        LaRue led off the 10th with his third hit of the day, equaling his career-high. Reggie Taylor bunted LaRue to second and he went to third on Todd Walker's groundout.

        Robinson went to the mound with a double intentional walk plan.

        “I see the logic in it,” Casey said. “Forceout at every base. Lefty-on-lefty. But I was ready to go. I faced him (Lloyd) in the ninth I wanted to face him again.”

        Casey smoked the first pitch.

        It was a curveball.

        “It was a good pitch,” Lloyd said. “He went down and got it.”

        “I waited on it,” Casey said. “I let it get as deep as possible on me.”

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