Jupiter Bullpen Shuts Down Dunedin Offense in 4-3 Victory
The Jupiter Hammerheads (10-6) bullpen tossed eight scoreless innings and overall the Jupiter pitchers retired 25 out of last 26 batters to defeat the Dunedin Blue Jays (9-7) by a final score of 4-3 on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jupiter pitchers had a stretch of 24 Blue
The Jupiter Hammerheads (10-6) bullpen tossed eight scoreless innings and overall the Jupiter pitchers retired 25 out of last 26 batters to defeat the Dunedin Blue Jays (9-7) by a final score of 4-3 on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jupiter pitchers had a stretch of 24 Blue Jays hitters retired in a row from the last out in the top of the first inning to the second out in the top of the ninth.
The Blue Jays got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning in what was the first career professional start for Xavier Meachem. With the aid of an error and a one-out walk, Dunedin had runners at first and second base with no outs. Then, a double steal led to a Sam Praytor throwing error which allowed Dunedin to score the first run. Dunedin catcher Edward Duran followed that with an RBI single to add another run for the Blue Jays and two batters later Alexis Hernandez would cap the scoring with an RBI single of his own making it 3-0 Dunedin. All three runs were unearned for Meachem in a no-decision.
However, the Hammerheads responded in the bottom of the frame. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Brock Vradenburg (No. 16 MIA prospect on MLB Pipeline) drove in Jupiter's first run on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 Blue Jays after the first inning. In the bottom of the second inning, Yeral Martinez led off with a triple and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Colby Shade to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Hammerheads would take the lead for the first time in the bottom of the third inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out again for Vradenburg, he would draw a walk to tie the ballgame. John Cruz (No. 19 MIA prospect on MLB Pipeline) drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 in favor of Jupiter.
After that, both offenses would be shut down by both of the pitching staffs. However, the Jupiter relief pitchers had the edge with Tristan Stevens (W, 2-1), Justin Evans, Patrick Murphy, Chris Mokma, and Nigel Belgrave (Sv, 4; No. 29 MIA prospect on MLB Pipeline) combining for eight shutout innings, no hits, one walk, and 10 strikeouts leading to the 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
Jake DeLeo went 2-for-4 with a run scored as the only hitter in the ballgame with multiple hits. Vradenburg finished with two RBIs which led all players in the game.
The series continues between Jupiter and Dunedin on Wednesday, April 24 with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Emmitt Olson (No. 28 MIA prospect on MLB Pipeline) will make the start on the mound for the Hammerheads as he looks to build off his impressive start to the season. Wednesday is also another Silver Sluggers night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Click here to become a member of the Silver Sluggers program. Click here to purchase your tickets.
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.