Palm Beach defeats Jupiter in 10th inning on Opening Night
The Palm Beach Cardinals scored six unanswered runs against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Friday night and won in walk-off fashion by a score of 6-5 in 10 innings. Jose Cordoba drove in Tre Richardson III in the bottom of the 10th inning on an RBI single It was all Jupiter
The Palm Beach Cardinals scored six unanswered runs against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Friday night and won in walk-off fashion by a score of 6-5 in 10 innings. Jose Cordoba drove in Tre Richardson III in the bottom of the 10th inning on an RBI single
It was all Jupiter in the first half of the ballgame off of Palm Beach starting pitcher Quinn Mathews. The game’s first run came off the bat of Jordan McCants in the form of a solo home run in the second inning to make it 1-0 Hammerheads. Two innings later with two runners on and after a critical error by Richardson III, Mark Coley II doubled to left field to extend the lead to 3-0 in favor of Jupiter.
Mathews finished his Palm Beach debut with 3 1/3 innings pitched, two runs, one earned run, five walks and six strikeouts and a no-decision. In the meantime, Hammerheads starting pitcher Thomas White finished his start by going 3 2/3 innings pitched with no runs, three walks, and six strikeouts also in a no-decision.
Fast forward to the top of the sixth, McCants led off with a single and Sam Praytor promptly launched a two-run home run to left field to make it 5-0.
But then the Palm Beach offense woke up and turned the game around. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Cardinals first baseman Ross Friedrick singled and third baseman Miguel Villarroel walked to put two runners on to lead off the frame. Friedrick scored with one out thanks to a couple of wild pitches. Villarroel would score not too much later thanks to a Brayden Jobert sacrifice fly to make it a 5-2 deficit.
The Cardinals’ bats exploded in the bottom of the eighth inning with three consecutive extra-base hits in the form of a Sammy Hernandez double, a Jobert RBI triple, and a Lizandro Espinoza two-run home run to tie the ballgame at 5-5.
Palm Beach relief pitchers Ettore Giulianelli, Zack Showalter and Augusto Calderon combined for five scoreless innings and six strikeouts between the sixth and 10th innings to keep the Cardinals close. With Richardson III as the placed runner in the bottom of the tenth inning and one out, Cordoba sent everyone home on his walk-off single with the Cardinals claiming the opening day victory by a score of 6-5.
Sammy Hernandez went 3-for-4 with a run scored and stolen base at the plate and also threw out a runner behind the plate. McCants finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base.
The series continues Saturday between the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Join us for Pickleball Night at the ballpark and the first 500 fans will receive a free pickleball paddle courtesy of Ross Felty and Fairfield Inn. Click here to buy your tickets.
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.