Hammerheads' Richards fans career-high 11

Trevor Richards is a big proponent of how a strong first inning sets the tone when he pitches.
His outing on Friday night only solidified that point.
The Marlins prospect struck out a career-high 11 over six one-hit innings as Class A Advanced Jupiter topped Dunedin, 8-1, at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

Gameday box score
Richards' first innings entailed striking out the side on 14 pitches. While the 24-year-old has had other 1-2-3 firsts in previous starts, it marked the first time he fanned the side to begin a game this season.
"You can tell right away if you have your stuff. You go out there and strike out the first three hitters and you're feeling pretty good, so it sets the tone for the whole start," he said. "After the first inning, you get a feel for the mound, for the atmosphere, their hitters. You're facing their 1-2-3, obviously, so you can kind of get a feel for how they're approaching you and you can go about attacking them."
Richards (5-4) worked around a one-out single in the third by Josh Almonte and a error by second baseman Angel Reyes that allowed Almonte to reach leading off the sixth. Aside from that, the Drury University product was perfect.
"You just stick to the same approach, just attack the hitters, even with a guy on," he said. "If a guy's on first and there's nobody out or one out, the only thing you're switching up is you're trying to get a ground ball, so just working down in the zone."
With 11 punchouts, Richards surpassed his previous career high of nine, which he notched on May 2 against Clearwater. With help from batterymate Rodrigo Vigil, the Illinois native limited his opponent to one hit for the second straight start.

"My fastball command was there. I was hitting spots, my catcher, Vigil, called a great game. We were moving the ball around, changing it up when we need to and it worked out," Richards said. "We've been working well and locating the ball, moving it around in the zone, not just pounding the same spot; we're moving in and out and changing speeds when we need to."
After spending 2015 with the independent Frontier League, Richards was signed by the Marlins on July 3, 2016. The 6-foot-2 hurler fared well in his first taste of affiliated ball, sporting a 2.48 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in 54 1/3 innings over 11 outings with Class A Short Season Batavia and Class A Greensboro.
Eleven games into his sophomore campaign, Richards is feeling comfortable. He has a 2.41 ERA with 69 whiffs and 11 walks in 59 2/3 innings.
"The competition is very similar, but there are certain things in the clubhouse and day-to-day is a little different than it was in [independent] ball. So, last year, it was just getting used to it, getting the feel and this year, I know all the guys. We got a good group of guys here and it's just [about] going after it and getting the work done," he said. "I would say that indy ball helped me, even at this level. I faced some pretty good hitters there. I see good hitters here; they're probably some better here, but it's not a whole lot different. Just stick with the game plan you have going into the game and try to execute pitches."
Marlins No. 7 prospectStone Garrett drove in two runs, while center fielder Zach Sullivan slugged a three-run homer for Jupiter.