Jupiter Drops Both in Doubleheader

The Jupiter Hammerheads dropped both games of Friday’s doubleheader to the St. Lucie Mets on Friday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jupiter lost the first game 5-3 and couldn’t complete the rally in game two to lose 8-7.

For the first game, Karson Milbrandt got the start for the Hammerheads. The Marlins’ No. 16 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, had a long first inning but rebounded nicely to pitch five innings for Jupiter. The righty allowed five runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Breidy Encarnacion pitched the final two frames for Jupiter and allowed just one hit and collected four strikeouts.

Offensively, Jupiter didn’t have much luck until the fifth inning scoring all three of their runs. After Jordan McCants and Ian Lewis got on base, Tanner Allen brought them home with a two-RBI triple down the right field line. The Mississippi State product would then score after a Jan Mercado RBI.

Unfortunately, the three runs weren’t enough to overcome the 5-0 deficit that Jupiter found themselves in. After the first seven innings on Friday, the Mets secured the first win.

For the second game, Jupiter was the first team to score. Back-to-back doubles courtesy of McCants and Javier Sanoja in the first inning gave the Hammerheads an early 1-0 lead. Jupiter would hold their lead until the fourth inning when the Mets scored five runs, two of which came from bases-loaded balks by the Hammerheads.

Jupiter would respond with three runs in the fifth to make it a 4-5 game. To start the bottom half of the inning, McCants hit his first professional home run. The solo shot was to center and traveled 415 feet. Ian Lewis and Sanoja would also come around to score in the frame after four total hits for the Hammerheads.

With the score 4-5, both teams would score three runs in the seventh and final frame of Friday. For Jupiter, Brett Roberts connected for a triple to earn his first RBIs of the season. Roberts would then score after a wild pitch from the Mets. However, that would be the final run of the night as Jupiter’s late rally fell a little short.

Four Jupiter players would finish with multi-hit games, including the first three batters of the lineup. McCants, Lewis, Sanoja, and Roberts all ended the contest 2-4.

On the mound for the second game, Juan Reynoso got the start. The right-hander pitched 3.1 innings but walked seven and allowed four runs to score.

Yeremin Lara and Josh White also made appearances on the mound for Jupiter. Lara went 1.2 innings while White worked the final two frames.

The Mets and Hammerheads will continue their series on Saturday at 4:00 PM. Join Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for a Kids Club Saturday with inflatables and Kids Run the Bases. Tickets are still available here.

For the first time in his professional career, @JordanMcCants4 goes yard!

🚀 101. 5 MPH
📏 415 Feet
📐 27 Degree Launch Angle pic.twitter.com/pCnCZ3e9ls

— Jupiter Hammerheads (@GoHammerheads) April 15, 2023