Jupiter Falls to St. Lucie 9-2 on Saturday to Force a Rubber Match

JUPITER, FL – The Jupiter Hammerheads (12-14) lost 9-2 to the St. Lucie Mets (15-11) on Saturday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and Abrahan Ramirez both had two hits for the Hammerheads. Jenkins-Cowart scored twice while Ramirez had an RBI and a stolen base.

St. Lucie opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Daiverson Gutierrez hit a sharp ground ball to Hammerheads third baseman Jesus Hernandez as he tried to go to second base, but his throw bounced off the glove of the second baseman Ramirez. On the error, Trey Snyder scored to give the Mets a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning. The Mets tacked on another run in the top of the second inning with a solo home run by Yonathan Henriquez, his first of the season, which extended the St. Lucie lead to 2-0.

Jupiter got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. Jenkins-Cowart started the inning with an infield single and advanced to third base on a throwing error by Mets third baseman Yonathan Henriquez. Ramirez brought him home with an RBI double into left center field to cut the St. Lucie advantage to 2-1 after two innings.

After a scoreless third inning for both teams, Jupiter starting pitcher Liomar Martinez () ran into more trouble as Simon Juan scored on a wild pitch followed by Yonathan Henriquez’s second solo home run of the game to give St. Lucie a 4-1 lead. Martinez finished with 3 2/3 innings pitched and allowed four runs (three earned), on four hits, one walk (two hit batters), and struck out five Mets hitters.

With Jupiter relief pitcher Samuel Carpio on the mound in the top of the fifth inning, the Mets added another run on an attempted double-steal which allowed Yohario Cuevas to score and make it a 5-1 St. Lucie lead, but Simon Juan was thrown out at second base.

Jupiter threatened against Mets relief pitcher Irving Cota, putting the leadoff man on in three straight times between the sixth and eighth innings but Jupiter could not break through on the scoreboard.

After a scoreless top of the eighth inning from Hammerheads relief pitcher Kevin Vaupel, the Mets got some extra separation in the top of the ninth inning. St. Lucie loaded the bases on an error by Hammerheads shortstop Carter Johnson, Colin Houck single, and a Daiverson Gutierrez walk. Yohairo Cuevas then hit a two-RBI single to left field to extend the Mets lead to 7-1. Riskiel Tineo then entered the game out of the Hammerheads bullpen. Tineo got Juan to hit a ground ball back to him but Cuevas was able to score. Vincent Perozo followed with an RBI single to stretch the Mets lead to 9-1 after the top of the ninth inning.

Jupiter was able to get a run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a Victor Ortega RBI single but Mets relief pitchers Eli Ankeney and Juan Arnaud were able to close out a 9-2 win for St. Lucie to even this three-game series.

The rubber match series finale takes place on Sunday, May 4^th with first pitch scheduled for 12:30 p.m. All reserved box tickets are just $10 for every Sunday game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Click here to purchase tickets.

The Jupiter Hammerheads “Star Wars” jersey auction is live now until Saturday, May 10^th at 8:00 p.m. Click here to go to the auction to place your bids on the game-worn limited edition jerseys with proceeds benefitting Loggerhead Marine Life Center.

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.