HOUSTON - In a series ruled by sluggers, it was hard to imagine Brandon Backe and Woody Williams would slow them down. They did more than that, hooking up in one of the greatest October duels ever.

Only when Backe and Williams left Game 5 of the NL championship series did hitters have any chance. Jeff Kent was fine with that - his three-run homer in the ninth inning sent the Houston Astros over St. Louis 3-0 Monday night for a 3-2 edge.

Boosted by a talk with Roger Clemens, Backe dominated for eight innings while Williams went seven. Both teams had a mere single until Houston came to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

"He was on tonight, just like I was," Backe said. "When you feel as good as I did out there and felt in the rhythm that I was in, you just feel like nobody can hit you."

The Astros moved within one win of their first World Series, winning a game that had just four hits - the fewest in postseason history.

"We've been struggling to get offense all day, both teams," Kent said. "Both teams know how to hit, the pitching just shut us down all day long. To finally come up with a hit is big."

The teams combined for 19 home runs in the first four games, yet neither had a runner get past second base until the end. Astros center fielder Carlos Beltran had a lot to do with that - his postseason-record streak of five straight games with a home run ended, but he made two terrific catches.

"It was really a well-played game, well-pitched game," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Brutal ending."

Beltran - who else? - led off the ninth with a single against Jason Isringhausen. After an intentional walk to Lance Berkman with one out, Kent hammered a ball off the limestone facade in left field.

Kent flipped his bat after he connected, tossed off his helmet as he headed home and said, "One more, one more."

The Astros won their third in a row, and will look to close the series in Game 6 Wednesday in St. Louis. Matt Morris will start for the Cardinals and Houston manager Phil Garner will make his choice today - it could be Clemens, pitching on three days' rest.

Too bad a lot of people might have missed it. Most baseball fans in the country got the Yankees-Boston game in the ALCS, and surely some people in St. Louis watched the Rams-Tampa Bay NFL matchup.

Before this night, the postseason record for fewest total hits was five, done three times in the World Series, including Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956.

Clemens talked to Backe earlier in the series.

"I have a lot of energy and it's obvious to everybody, but he basically just told me to channel it towards the catcher and what I'm supposed to be doing out there," he said.

Backe, who started the season in the minors and went 5-3 in the majors, gave up a two-out single to Tony Womack in the sixth. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth in the combined one-hitter.

"I just got into a rhythm, a groove," Backe said. "I had really good command."

Williams allowed Jeff Bagwell's single in the first and nothing more. Both starters struck out four and walked two in a rematch of Game 1, won by Williams.

"I just know I put up seven zeros, but I got outmatched," Williams said.

Lidge pitched for the third straight day, adding a win to his two saves in the series. Isringhausen relieved in the eighth, and wound up with the loss.

"I knew it was out when it left the bat," Isringhausen said.