San Francisco's Kenny Lofton is hit by Matt Morris' first pitch of the fourth inning. (Ben Margot/AP)

But Lofton answered Morris with singles in his next two at-bats, then sent the message that really mattered -- a ninth-inning single off reliever Steve Kline in the ninth inning that drove in the winning run as the Giants earned a World Series berth with a 2-1 victory in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

Matt Morris   /   P
	Height: 6'5" Weight: 210 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Cardinals site

Lofton was accused of hamming it up too much after a homer off Morris during Game 1. Cardinals reliever Mike Crudale delivered the message that night with a high, inside pitch that didn't hit him but still caused the benches to clear in anger.

But after not allowing a baserunner through three innings of Monday night's Game 5, Morris drilled Lofton with his first pitch of the fourth inning.

Lofton's reaction to the Morris pitch was a little different this time. After the Crudale pitch, he angrily shouted toward the pitcher's mound and at catcher Mike Matheny before players rushed onto the field. But Monday, he simply turned briefly to home plate umpire Tim Welke, then walked slowly to first base.

To that point, Lofton was 0-for-18 since the Game 1 incident. But Lofton led off the bottom of the sixth of the still-scoreless game with a single -- the second hit off Morris. Lofton singled again with one down in the eighth, then added the game winner off Kline after David Bell and Shawon Dunston knocked two-out singles off Morris in the ninth.

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.