Palm Beach spoils debuts, sweeps doubleheader

DUNEDIN, FL – On a day where seven members of the 2024 draft class made their professional debuts, Palm Beach spoiled the occasion, sweeping a series opening doubleheader with 7-6 and 7-4 victories over the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on Wednesday.

In game one, Palm Beach scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Dunedin starter Gage Stanifer settled in and only allowed one other run across four innings, striking out four.

The Blue Jays claimed their first lead of the day in the bottom of the third, as Sean Keys singled to center, driving in Nick Mitchell. Palm Beach centerfielder Brayden Jobert bobbled the ball and then made an errant throw to third, allowing Arjun Nimmala to score on the same play, putting Dunedin ahead 2-1.

After the Cardinals tied it with a Ross Friedrick RBI single in the fourth, Dunedin reclaimed the lead in the fourth, as Nick Mitchell launched a no-doubt three run home run for his first as a pro, making it 5-2 Blue Jays.

Palm Beach quickly punched back in the fifth, as Ryan Campos singled in a run and then Friedrick blasted a three-run homer to center, propelling the Cardinals to a 6-5 lead.

The Jays tied it back up at six in the bottom of the inning, as Carter Cunningham singled and then eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The tie lasted until the top of the seventh, when Cardinals first round draft pick JJ Wetherhold hit a go-ahead solo homer, which led Palm Beach to a 7-6 win.

In game two, the Jays started on the right foot, as Nimmala roped a first inning double and Aaron Parker drove him in with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.

Things went awry in the top of the second inning. Palm Beach rallied for seven runs on four hits and two Dunedin errors, capped by a three-run homer from Lizandro Espinoza, helping the Cardinals to a 7-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the inning, Bryce Arnold and Eddie Micheletti poked RBI doubles, trimming the deficit to 7-3. Arnold drove in another run in the fourth to make it 7-4, but that’s as close as Dunedin would get.

The highlight of the nightcap came via Dunedin’s bullpen, as Jay Schueler, Colby Holcombe and Colby Martin delivered scoreless innings in their pro debuts, all collecting their first pro strikeouts.

The series continues tomorrow night, with a standard nine-inning contest scheduled for 6:30 at TD Ballpark. Tickets are available now at DunedinBlueJays.com.