Hammerheads Come Back to Win 3-2 Over Cardinals To Even Series
The Jupiter Hammerheads (19-10) scored three unanswered runs, including two in the bottom of the eighth inning, to complete the comeback and defeat the Palm Beach Cardinals (16-13) by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. All five games between Jupiter and Palm Beach in
The Jupiter Hammerheads (19-10) scored three unanswered runs, including two in the bottom of the eighth inning, to complete the comeback and defeat the Palm Beach Cardinals (16-13) by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. All five games between Jupiter and Palm Beach in 2024 have been decided by one run with the Cardinals leading the regular season series 3-2.
The ballgame started as a pitchers duel between Jupiter starting pitcher Tristan Stevens and Palm Beach starting pitcher Darlin Saladin. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless through the first five innings.
Palm Beach would strike first for the second straight night in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs and Jose Cordoba at first base thanks to a walk issued by Stevens, Johnfrank Salazar drove in the game's first run on an RBI single to make it 1-0 in favor of the Cardinals. Palm Beach would extend their lead in the very next inning after Tre Richardson hit a triple and was immediately brought home on an RBI single from Sammy Hernandez to make it 2-0.
Jupiter provided a response in the bottom of the seventh when, with the bases loaded and no outs, Tony Bullard drove in John Cruz on a sacrifice fly to left field to cut the deficit to 2-1. After a scoreless top of the eighth inning from Patrick Murphy (W, 1-0), the Hammerheads got right back to work offensively in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Jesus Hernandez and Brock Vradenburg each drew a walk followed by Cruz being hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought Ryan Ignoffo to the plate and he would drive in two runs on a two-RBI single to give Jupiter their first lead at 3-2. Yeuris Jimenez (Sv, 1) would get the final three outs for his first save of the season for the Hammerheads in the top of the ninth to secure the victory for Jupiter.
Stevens finished his longest start of the season by going six innings with one earned run while striking out five batters in a no-decision. Murphy and Jimenez combined for three scoreless innings out of the Jupiter bullpen. Ignoffo has recorded two RBIs in back-to-back games.
It was also "Hope At-Bat" Night which is an initiative from MiLB in collaboration with the American Cancer Society. $10 were donated for every strikeout across all of minor league baseball and $140 was contributed from 14 strikeouts in the ballgame.
With each team having a win in the series, the Hammerheads and Cardinals will face off for game three on Thursday, May 9th at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Click here to purchase your tickets. Click here to become a member of the Thirsty Thursday program for fans 21 and older.
About Jupiter Stadium, LTD:
Opening in 1998, the 110-acre complex/stadium is specially designed to house two Major League and two Minor League Baseball Teams. The stadium is home to the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals for Spring Training. The Florida State League’s Jupiter Hammerheads (Class A Affiliate of the Miami Marlins) and Palm Beach Cardinals (Class A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals) make their home at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium from April through September. This year-round facility can accommodate the smallest birthday party to the largest corporate outing, while never forgetting that each and every fan is our most important product.