The Hammerheads fall in game one against the Tortugas

The Jupiter Hammerheads come up just short in the opening game of their six-game series against the Daytona Tortugas. After making it a one-run game late, Jupiter couldn’t get anyone else to cross the plate as they fall 3-2 on Tuesday night.

The Hammerheads had Eury Perez, the Marlins No. 25 overall prospect (MLB Pipeline), on the mound to start things off. The young righty struck out a career high eight batters in just four innings of work. The Dominican native only allowed two hits, both of which came in the first inning.

Relievers Raul Brito and Tommy Eveld, who just started a rehab assignment with the Hammerheads, also pitched on Tuesday. Brito struck out four Daytona batters while Eveld did not allow any runs in his first appearance with the Hammerheads. In total, the Jupiter pitching staff tallied 14 strikeouts on the night.

From the plate, the Hammerheads were fueled by an inside-the-park home run courtesy of Victor Mesa Jr. in the fourth inning. It was the first homer of the season for the Cuban outfielder, who is currently ranked as the Marlins 11th overall prospect. Jupiter would add one more run in the eighth inning on an Osiris Johnson sacrifice fly.

In the ninth, Troy Johnston was thrown out at second base after trying to stretch a single into a double. The tag-out would be the final out of the night and secure the win for the Tortugas.

The Hammerheads and Tortugas will play game two in the series on Wednesday night with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm. Dax Fulton will get the start for Jupiter and will face-off against lefty Evan Kravetz for Daytona.

For Tuesday’s full box score, CLICK HERE