Riley Mahan pushes Jupiter past Palm Beach

With some extra inning dramatics courtesy of Riley Mahan, the Jupiter Hammerheads earned their first win of the season by defeating the Palm Beach Cardinals, 8-7.
Will Stewart had a strong 5 2/3 innings for the Hammerheads, holding the Cardinals to two runs while striking out four.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Isael Soto made it a one-run game following an RBI triple, his first hit of the year. Nick Fortes then hit a sac fly to bring the Dominican outfielder in and tie the game at two.
In the sixth inning Riley Mahan knocked a solo home run, his first of the year, which put the Hammerheads ahead, 3-2.
Jupiter widened the gap in the 7th inning. James Nelson reached third base on an error to begin the inning and was brought home by Soto's RBI double. After Fortes walked, Micah Brown reached first on a bunt, loading the bases. Víctor Víctor Mesa moved to first on a fielding error which scored Soto. After Mahan's sac fly, the Hammerheads extended their lead to four runs.  
Vincenzo Aiello struggled on the mound in the eighth, letting Palm Beach pull closer with two runs. The Cardinals tied it up when Chad Smith allowed two inherited runners to score immediately after Aiello left the game.  
A hitless ninth from both teams pushed the game into extra innings.
In the tenth, the Cardinals pulled ahead with one run in the top half of the inning. Down to their final three outs, Mahan wasted no time to put Jupiter ahead for good. The University of Kentucky alum hit his second home run of the game, a walk-off, scoring special runner Cameron Baranek and giving the Hammerheads an 8-7 victory.
Riley Mahan set career highs with his 2 home runs and 4 RBI in a single game. Micah Brown and Isael Soto both had multi-hit games and Victor Victor Mesa recorded his first career RBI in the victory.
In his first appearance of the season, Chad Smith earned the win following 2 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
The Hammerheads will finish off their series against the Cardinals on Sunday at 1:00pm at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Tickets and more information can be found at rogerdeanchevroletstadium.com.