Guerrera homer lifts Mets over Hammerheads, 4-3

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Sept. 18, 2021) – The St. Lucie Mets clipped the Jupiter Hammerheads 4-3 in a seven-inning rain-shortened game at Clover Park on Saturday evening.

The contest was the completion of Friday’s suspended game. The second game scheduled for Saturday night was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions.

The Mets victory sets up a one game showdown for the Low-A Southeast East Division title on Sunday afternoon. The teams will play a single nine-inning game starting at 12:10 p.m. A victory for the Mets (59-55) would give them the tie breaker on percentage points. If the Hammerheads (61-55) win they finish a full game ahead of the Mets.

On Saturday afternoon, the teams resumed with the Mets leading 2-0 in the top of the second. Marcus Chiu led off the inning with a home run against Trey McLoughlin.

Cody Morissette and Victor Mesa, Jr. hit back-to-back homers off McLoughlin to start the third inning and give the Hammerheads a 3-2 lead.

Jack-Thomas Wold and Brandon McIlwain hit consecutive doubles in the fourth inning to tie the game, 3-3.

Justin Guerrera led off the bottom of the seventh inning with home run to put St. Lucie ahead 4-3.

Chiu started the top of the eighth with a single but the game went into a delay during the next at-bat and did not resume.

Jeffrey Colon (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings to get his first win of the season. The first two batters of the seventh reached against him but he wiggled out of the jam to keep the game tied.

McLoughlin settled down after the three home runs and pitched 4.0 solid innings.

Jared Pettitte (0-1) took the loss after surrendering the Guerrera homer.