ST. LOUIS – When you think of the Cardinals, it’s easy to get swept away by the proficiency of their hitting.

You think long balls, home runs and baseballs smashed beyond recognition.

Certainly, hitting 214 home runs is one way the Cardinals won 105 games during the regular season.

But as evidenced by their performance in Game 1 of the NLCS, they are not a one-dimensional team.

Yes, the Cardinals – who hosted Game 2 here last night – belted five extra-base hits en route to their 10-7 triumph over the Astros on Wednesday night.

But they also play “small ball”to win their first NLCS opener in four tries under manager Tony La Russa.

In a sixth-run sixth inning that blew open the game, the Cardinals did the little things that lead to big things.

After a single by Edgar Renteria, Reggie Sanders hustled out an infield hit to short. Catcher Mike Matheny then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third before Roger Cedeno, the former Met, hit a roller down the first-base line that allowed Renteria to score.

Then came the clutch two-out hits. First, a dribbler up the middle by Tony Womack that scored Sanders. Then with Larry Walker batting, Womack stole second. Walker looped a deep ball to short that Jose Vizcaino threw wildly to first. Womack scored and Walker would up on second.

The patience of Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen were rewarded with two walks to load the bases ahead Jim Edmonds, whose double down the right-field line cleared the bases. It was the only real hard hit ball in the inning.

“We do the little things like stealing base, a lot of broken bats, get the guy over,”Pujols said. “You see Mike [Matheny] put a bunt down. I think that was the key of the game. Cedeno did his job. That kind of opened the inning. You don’t have to live with the long ball.

“When you’re in the postseason, you want to make sure you do the little things, get the guy over when you need to, get him in, like I did in the first inning. Get a good pitch in, put the baseball on the bat.

Truth is, small ball beat the long ball in Game 1.

The Astros got home runs from Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb, but according to STATS, INC. became the first team in LCS history to hit four home runs in a single game and still lose.

The Cardinals out-hit the Astros 12-10 and were 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

“You had to put a bunch of hits up together,”said Walker, playing in his first NLCS. “That’s what we did – basically opposite what we did first game in L.A. It was just a long ball. A string of pitches is just as good as hitting the ball out of the ballpark. Our hits came with men on. They just kept adding up. You take those every game.

It could prove the difference in what figures to be a high-scoring series where no lead is safe until the final out.