Cardinals Fall Short of Comeback in 7-6 Loss to Flying Tigers

The Palm Beach Cardinals (7-4) fell just short of a comeback in the later innings as they fell to the Lakeland Flying Tigers (8-3) by a final score of 7-6 on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Lakeland got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. Jim Jarvis led off with a single and one batter later Eduardo Valencia drove him in on an RBI single. Three batters later, Max Clark notched an RBI single of his own to make it 2-0 Lakeland. The Flying Tigers added two more in the top of the third inning thanks to a wild pitch and a balk to extend their lead to 4-0. Three innings later in the top of the sixth, Clark added another RBI on a groundout to make it 5-0 Lakeland.

It wasn't until the bottom of the seventh inning that Palm Beach would get their first run. Lizandro Espinoza hit a triple with one out in his first at-bat of the night and came in to score on a wild pitch. Trey Paige would walk with two outs and Adari Grant drove him in on an RBI single to make it 5-2.

However, Lakeland would get the runs back with a two-RBI single by Clark in the top of the seventh inning to extend the lead to 7-2. Clark finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

The Cardinals made things interesting in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kade Kretzschmar was hit by a pitch and Ross Friedrick singled to begin the frame. Kretzschmar would come in to score on a throwing error and Miguel Villarroel immediately drove in Friedrick on an RBI single. Espinoza followed up with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5. Four batters later with a runner at third base, Sammy Hernandez capped the inning with an RBI single to put the deficit at 7-6.

However, the Cardinals comeback fell just one run short as the Flying Tigers held on for the 7-6 victory to tie the series at one game a piece. Ixan Henderson (L, 0-1) suffered the loss in his first career start for Palm Beach with three innings pitched, four earned runs, eight hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

Paige went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored at the plate. Sammy Hernandez also finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a hit-by-pitch.

The Cardinals continue their series against the Flying Tigers on Thursday, April 18th with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Join us at the ballpark for Thirsty Thursday. Click here to become a member of the Thirsty Thursday program and 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.