Jupiter Falls Late in 6-5 Defeat to Palm Beach
The Jupiter Hammerheads (18-10) fell late to their rival Palm Beach Cardinals (16-12) losing by a final score of 6-5 on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. With the loss, their win streak ended at three games. With their victory, Palm Beach takes a 3-1 regular season series lead.
The Jupiter Hammerheads (18-10) fell late to their rival Palm Beach Cardinals (16-12) losing by a final score of 6-5 on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. With the loss, their win streak ended at three games. With their victory, Palm Beach takes a 3-1 regular season series lead.
The Cardinals struck first in the ballgame in the top of the second inning. With runners at second and third base with two outs, Kade Kretzschmar drove in the first run on an RBI single to make it a 1-0 Palm Beach lead.
However, Jupiter provided a quick response in the bottom of the frame. Johnfrank Salazar committed back-to-back errors off the bats of Brock Vradenburg and John Cruz to tie the ballgame 1-1. Yeral Martinez would follow that with a 112.4 mph triple to right field to give the Hammerheads the 2-1 lead. Ryan Ignoffo finished the scoring in the inning with his first RBI single on the night to extend the Jupiter lead to 3-1. Two inning later, in the bottom of the fourth, Ignoffo notched his second RBI single of the night to bring in Cruz to make it 4-1 in favor of the Hammerheads.
Palm Beach spent the rest of the game chipping away at the Jupiter lead. In the top of the fifth inning with two runners on, Jose Cordoba hit an RBI single to cut the Jupiter lead to 4-2. Two batters later, Chase Davis drove in another run on an RBI fielder's choice making it a 4-3 ballgame.
The Hammerheads got back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Martinez at second base and two outs, Sam Praytor smacked an RBI double to get a run back for Jupiter and lead 5-3.
The Cardinals added another run in the top of the seventh inning on a fielder's choice and error allowing Miguel Villarroel to score from second base. In the top of the ninth inning off of Holt Jones (BS, L, 0-1), Sammy Hernandez and Trey Paige drew walks. With two outs, Davis tied the ballgame at 5-5 on an RBI single to center field. Salazar followed Davis with an RBI infield single to give the Cardinals the 6-5 lead, which held to be the final score on Wednesday night.
Jupiter starting pitcher Collin Lowe went a season-high 4 1/3 innings pitched with one earned run and struck out seven batters. A.J. Puk made a MLB rehab assignment from the Miami Marlins and went 2/3 of an inning with two earned runs on three hits as he makes his way back from shoulder fatigue. Martinez went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Ignoffo finished 2-for-4 at the plate with those two RBI singles.
The "Dual of the Dean" series continues with game two on Wednesday, May 8th at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Click here to purchase your tickets for Wednesday night's "Hope At-Bat Night" at the ballpark. Click here to become a member of the Silver Sluggers program for fans 55 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.