Cardinals Bounce Back to Defeat Mets 5-1 Saturday Night

JUPITER, FL - After losing an 8-0 lead in last night's loss, the Palm Beach Cardinals (41-32, 4-3) bounced back to defeat the St. Lucie Mets (24-50, 2-6) by a final score of 5-1 on Saturday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Palm Beach is now 12-12 in June and looks to win its second series against St. Lucie this season in the finale on Sunday.

After a scoreless first inning, the Mets got on the scoreboard first against Palm Beach starting pitcher Chen-Wei Lin (W, 5-4). With two outs and Colin Houck at first base with a single, Lin threw over to first base in a pickoff move but the ball was dropped by Cardinals' first baseman Johnfrank Salazar allowing Houck to move to second base. Yohairo Cuevas would hit a bloop RBI single to left field on the next pitch which gave St. Lucie the early 1-0 lead.

However, Palm Beach provided an immediate response in the bottom of the second inning off of St. Lucie starting pitcher Ernesto Mercedes (L, 0-8). Kade Kretzschmar led off the frame with a walk, Sammy Hernandez hit a single to right field, and Jose Cordoba dropped a bunt single to load the bases. With one out, Brayden Jobert drove in Kretzschmar on a sacrifice fly to give the Cardinals their first run. Two batters later with the bases loaded again, Trey Paige drew an RBI walk which gave Palm Beach the 2-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Lin would settle in and finish his start with five innings pitched and allowed just one run on three hits and struck out seven batters.

The Cardinals added some insurance runs later in the ballgame. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lizandro Espinoza brought home Cordoba on an RBI single to make it a 3-1 Cardinals' lead. Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, Palm Beach added two more runs thanks to a RBI walk by Hernandez and a sacrifice fly by Cordoba which extended the lead to 5-1.

Benjamin Arias (Sv, 2) relieved Lin and tossed four scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and one walk and would strike out the side in the top of the ninth inning to secure the 5-1 Saturday night victory for Palm Beach. It is the second save of four shutout innings for Arias this season.

Kretzschmar finished 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored to lead the way offensively for Palm Beach.

The Cardinals look for a series win against the Mets in the series finale to close the month of June on Sunday, June 30th with first pitch scheduled for noon. After Sunday, the Cardinals will stay in Jupiter to play six games against the Jupiter Hammerheads during MegaBash week beginning on Monday, July 1st. Palm Beach will then host the Clearwater Threshers for six games beginning Tuesday, July 9th. Be sure to check out all the programs that Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium has to offer and click here to see all upcoming games to purchase your tickets.

MEGABASH: Celebrate America’s birthday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for MegaBash on July 3rd and 4th when the Palm Beach Cardinals and Jupiter Hammerheads hit the diamond. Click here to purchase tickets for Wednesday, July 3rd. Click here to purchase tickets for the July 4th game. Don’t miss the biggest bash in Abacoa with fireworks going off after both games!

Silver Sluggers Program: Want to beat every early-bird special in Palm Beach County? Fans 55 and up can click here to become a member of the Silver Sluggers program which gets you a ticket to every Wednesday Florida State League game, a chance to win prizes in baseball bingo, an official Silver Sluggers T-shirt, a team store discount, and a free hot dog and soda at the ballpark.

Thirsty Thursday: All fans 21 and up can click here to become a part of Thirsty Thursdays at The Dean. For $75, fans get a reserved box seat to every Thursday Florida State League game and a special koozie which gets you access to $1, $2, and $3 drink specials.

Kids Club: Kids can click here take part in the best entertainment deal in Palm Beach County. For $30, members receive tickets to every Saturday Florida State League game, a free hot dog and soda at the game, an official Kids Club T-shirt, a team store discount, and a chance to run the bases after the game.

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.