Mets win Sunday finale over Hammerheads, 7-4
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (August 20, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets capped their 12-game home stand with a 7-4 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads on Sunday at Clover Park. The Mets jumped on Hammerheads starter Juan De La Cruz for three runs in the first inning and led the
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (August 20, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets capped their 12-game home stand with a 7-4 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads on Sunday at Clover Park.
The Mets jumped on Hammerheads starter Juan De La Cruz for three runs in the first inning and led the rest of the way. De La Cruz threw a wild pitch that scored Nick Morabito from third base for the first run of the game. Vincent Perozo lofted a long RBI sac fly and Nick Lorusso smacked a two-out RBI single to make it 3-0.
Kevin Parada drew a bases loaded walk from De La Cruz in the second inning to open up a 4-0 lead.
Wilfredo Lara mashed a two-out RBI triple off big league rehabber JT Chargois in the fourth inning to make it 5-1.
The Hammerheads scored twice in the fifth with two outs against Luis A. Rodriguez to make it 5-3, but Rodriguez struck out Jake DeLeo to end the inning.
Brawny Reyes pitched 2.0 scoreless innings behind Rodriguez and Miguel Alfonseca induced an inning-ending double play in the eighth.
The Mets scored two insurance runs in the home eighth. Karell Paz belted a RBI single to make it 6-3. Paz later scored on a throwing error by catcher Jan Mercado to push the lead to 7-3.
The Hammerheads threatened in the ninth against Mets reliever Joe Joe Rodriguez. With two outs Brock Vradenburg was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run. DeLeo came to the plate with the bases reloaded and the tying run on first base. He grounded a ball into the hole at short but the ball was cut off by Kevin Villavicencio who threw to third base for the force out to end the game.
Mets starter Douglas Orellana allowed just one unearned run and one hit over 3.0 innings.
Reyes was credited with the win. He struck out four.
Parada (ankle) went 1 for 2 with a single, two walks, two runs and a RBI in his fourth rehab game. He caught for seven innings.
Lara went 3 for 5 with a triple and two singles.
Paz recorded his fourth straight two-hit game.
The Mets (39-74, 15-33) are off on Monday. They start a 12-game, 13-day road trip to Dunedin and Tampa on Tuesday. First up is a six-game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays. Tuesday’s first pitch at TD Ballpark is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.