Cardinals Comeback Falls Short in 5-3 Loss to Hammerheads Friday Night

JUPITER, FL – Despite a late rally due to walks in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Palm Beach Cardinals (16-16; 48-49) fell to the Jupiter Hammerheads (10-22; 40-58) by a final score of 5-3 on Friday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

The Hammerheads wasted no time scoring the first run of the game in the top of the first inning against Palm Beach starting pitcher Nelfy Ynfante (L, 3-5). Starlyn Caba led the game off with a double and two batters later Carter Johnson hit an RBI double to give the Hammerheads the early 1-0 lead. Ynfante did strand two runners in scoring position to prevent further damage.

Both teams were quiet following the top of the first inning as Ynfante settled into his start. Ynfante finished with four innings pitched and allowed just the one run on five hits, two walks and struck out five batters.

Meanwhile, Jupiter starting pitcher Julio Mendez (W, 2-6) pitched in cruise control with five scoreless and hitless innings as the Palm Beach offense only drew two walks against him.

Yordy Herrera was the first Cardinal out of the bullpen. Herrera tossed a scoreless top of the fifth inning but had some trouble in the sixth. Ian Lewis led off with an infield single and Dub Gleed walked. Both runners moved into scoring position as Herrera struck out the next two hitters. However, Caba hit a blooped, two-RBI single to give the Hammerheads a 3-0 lead.

Jupiter added insurance in the top of the seventh inning off of Charles Harrison out of the Cardinals bullpen. With two outs, Andrew Salas drew a walk, and Lewis drove in Salas on an RBI triple to make it 4-0 in favor of the Hammerheads. In the top of the ninth inning, Jupiter added an insurance run on the RBI single by Dub Gleed to increase their lead to 5-0.

The Cardinals had no answers at the plate until the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals drew four walks in the inning, including an RBI walk from Sammy Hernandez, to prevent a shutout and score their first run. With the bases still loaded and two outs, Jose Cordoba smacked a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3. But the comeback fell short and the Cardinals dropped game one on the weekend.

Saturday, August 2^nd is a double-header between Palm Beach and Jupiter. Game one begins at 3:30 p.m. as a makeup for a rainout back on July 22^nd. “Duel of the Dean” broadcast coverage begins at 3:20 p.m. with game one on the MiLB App, MiLB.TV, Bally Sports Live, and the Cardinals Audio Stream. Gates will open at 2:30 p.m. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Game two will follow shortly after the conclusion of game one. Both games will be seven innings. Game two will be the “Stand Up 2 Cancer” celebration game where the Cardinals will wear specialty “Beach Birds” powder blue jerseys which will be auctioned on the Palm Beach Cardinals 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. 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.