Cardinals clip Mets 1-0 in rain-shortened game

Williams goes 2 for 2 with a 3B in loss

June 16, 2023

JUPITER, Fla. (June 16, 2023) – The Palm Beach Cardinals won a rain-shortened game 1-0 in five innings against the St. Lucie Mets on Friday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The Cardinals scored the game’s only run in the first inning. With two outs R.J. Yeager was plunked by

JUPITER, Fla. (June 16, 2023) – The Palm Beach Cardinals won a rain-shortened game 1-0 in five innings against the St. Lucie Mets on Friday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

The Cardinals scored the game’s only run in the first inning. With two outs R.J. Yeager was plunked by Jordany Ventura. Leonardo Bernal followed with a RBI double to right-center field to bring home Yeager.

Palm Beach starter Max Rajcic lowered his season ERA to 1.59 with five shutout innings. He scattered four hits, walked one and struck out three while improving his record to 6-2.

Ventura pitched all four innings for the Mets and took the loss. He gave up one run on three hits. Ventura struck out four and walked four. He walked the bases loaded to start the second inning but recovered to get a strikeout and a double play ball to escape the jam.

The Mets only had one good scoring opportunity against Rajcic. Jett Williams hit a one-out triple in the first inning. Rajcic struck out Junior Tilien and got Jacob Reimer to fly out to the warning track to strand Williams at third base.

The game went into a rain delay with Ventura on the mound facing Yeager in the bottom of the fifth. It was officially called around 8:30 p.m.

Williams added an infield single and finished the game 2 for 2. He has reached base in 13 of his 18 plate appearances in the series.

Reimer and Lara had the other hits for the Mets, both singles. Reimer has recorded a hit in 16 of his last 19 games. He is hitting .404 in his last 17 games.

The Mets’ three-game winning streak was snapped. It was their fourth three-game winning streak this season. They have not won four in row.

The Mets’ five-game winning streak against the Cardinals was also halted. The teams are 5-5 against each other this season.

The win for the Cardinals helped them maintain at least a 1.0 game lead over the Jupiter Hammerheads for first place in the FSL East Division’s first half. Only five games remain in the half.

The Mets (22-38) and Cardinals (35-26) play the fifth game of their series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.