Offense Powers to Palm Beach Victory in 9-3 Win over Lakeland Thursday Night
JUPITER, FL – The Palm Beach Cardinals (26-22) produced 14 hits, including two home runs, to defeat the Lakeland Flying Tigers (25-22) by a final score of 9-3 on Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. After a scoreless first inning, Lakeland jumped to the early 1-0 lead in the
JUPITER, FL – The Palm Beach Cardinals (26-22) produced 14 hits, including two home runs, to defeat the Lakeland Flying Tigers (25-22) by a final score of 9-3 on Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
After a scoreless first inning, Lakeland jumped to the early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Carson Rucker hit a solo home run to center field off of Palm Beach starting pitcher Cade Crossland (W, 2-2).
Two innings later, the Cardinals responded on offense against Lakeland starting pitcher Malachi Witherspoon (L, 2-1). With two outs, Jonathan Mejia hit a single to left field. Michael Dattalo drove in Mejia on an RBI double to right field to tie the game at 1-1. In the very next inning, Trevor Haskins led off with a solo home run to left field, his fourth home run of the season, to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. Haskins hit his home run at 111.3 miles-per-hour.
Crossland settled into his start after the home run. The lefty finished his league-leading 10th start with five innings pitched and allowed just one run, one walk, and struck out a career-high eight batters.
The Cardinals offense stayed hot in the bottom of the fifth. On the first pitch of the frame, Facundo Velasquez launched an opposite-field, solo home run to left field, for his second home run of the year. Later in the inning, the Cardinals jumped all over the Flying Tigers with a two-RBI triple by Yordalin Peña and capped the scoring on an RBI groundout by Heriberto Caraballo to give the Cardinals a 6-1 lead after five innings.
Liam Best entered the game for Palm Beach on the mound in the top of the sixth inning. The Flying Tigers got a run back thanks to a sacrifice fly by Beau Ankeney to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 6-2.
However, the Cardinals answered back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Eight Palm Beach hitters came to the plate. Peña smacked an RBI single to center field and Caraballo drew an RBI walk to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 8-2 after six innings.
Anibal Salas hit a solo home run off of Best in the top of the seventh inning, but Yadiel Batista came in relief and finished the inning with no further damage as Palm Beach still led 8-3.
The Cardinals got one more run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Johnfrank Salazar drove in Peña on an RBI single to make it 9-3. Nelfy Ynfante shut the door in the top of the ninth inning on the mound for the Cardinals to secure the 9-3 victory over Lakeland on Thursday night.
Peña led the offense after he finished 4-for-5 with a triple, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Dattalo went 3-for-4 with a double, run, and RBI and now has seven hits in the series. Mejia scored a game-high three runs in a two-hit performance. Smith also added two hits at the top of the lineup.
The Cardinals and Flying Tigers head into the weekend portion of this six-game series with game four scheduled for Friday, May 29th with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. for “Bark-in-the-Park” presented by Veterinary Emergency Group. Click here to purchase your Palm Beach Cardinals tickets.
For select Saturdays in 2026, the Palm Beach Cardinals take on the alternate identity of the “Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas!” You can join the cold front and purchase an “Ice Cold 12-Pack” ticket package to get a ticket for all Frozen Iguanas games, exclusive benefits, and access to special events as part of this season-long membership.
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is “America’s Busiest Ballpark” as the only home of two full season minor league affiliates. Enjoy the best entertainment membership packages in Palm Beach County with our staple programs like “Rockwell Hearing Center Silver Sluggers” every Wednesday for all fans 55 and up, “Thirsty Thursdays” every Thursday for all fans 21 and up, and “Code Ninjas Kids Club” every Saturday for all fans 15 and under.
New to 2026, fans can purchase tickets to the Jupiter Medical Center Champions Club down the left field line for an elevated baseball experience. Returning for 2026, every Tuesday game is a “2-for-1 Tuesday” where fans get two reserved box tickets for the price of one ($15) and every Sunday game is a “$10 Sunday” where all tickets are just 10 dollars. For more information on tickets, schedules, promotions, and more, call the ticket office at 561-630-1828 or visit the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium website.
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. Branded as “America’s Busiest Ballpark,” this year-round facility can accommodate everything from birthday parties to corporate outings to tournaments, while never forgetting that every fan is our most important priority.