MONTREAL – Mike Piazza hit a two-out, RBI single in the eighth inning to help the Mets end a three-game losing skid with a 3-2 win over the Expos last night.

New York moved two games ahead of Montreal for fourth place in the NL East. The Expos have been in last place in the division since April 15.

Only 3,664 were on hand for the game, the second-smallest Olympic Stadium crowd of the season and the Expos’ second straight crowd under 4,000.

The Mets rallied in the eighth after Montreal’s Tony Batista hit his third homer in two games. Batista’s shot came off Steve Trachsel, leading off the sixth to tie it 2-all.

Gerald Williams hit a leadoff single off Luis Ayala (6-12). Ayala struck out Jeff Keppinger before Williams advanced to second on David Wright’s grounder to short. Piazza then looped a single down the right-field line to drive in the go-ahead run.

With the loss, Ayala broke Mike Marshall’s team record of 11 losses by a reliever set in 1973. Bartolome Fortunato (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win in his first big league decision. Braden Looper pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save in 31 opportunities.

Batista’s homer was his team-leading 31st, which broke Larry Parrish’s team record for homers in a season by a third baseman set in 1979.

The Mets scored twice with two outs in the second inning on a pair of triples and an RBI single by Trachsel.

The Mets pitcher was booed by the tiny crowd in the indoor stadium when a batboy brought him a jacket at first.