Cardinals Take Series Finale with 9-4 Victory over Tampa

JUPITER, FL - The Palm Beach Cardinals (30-21) defeated the Tampa Tarpons (19-32) by a final score of 9-4 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The Cardinals won five of the six games which is the second time in 2024 they have won five games in a series (5/14-5/19 vs St. Lucie). Palm Beach becomes the third team in the Florida State League to win 30 games and they stay in first place in the FSL East Division.

After a scoreless first inning, the Tarpons got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning off of Palm Beach starting pitcher Jason Savacool. Willy Montero would drive in Jackson Castillo on an RBI single to make it 1-0 in favor of Tampa. In the bottom of the frame, the Cardinals provided a response. With two outs, Jose Cordoba reached on an infield single and Johnfrank Salazar drew a walk. Lizandro Espinoza would drive home Cordoba on an RBI single to right field to immediately tie the game 1-1.

The score remained until the top of the fourth inning when Tampa got back to work. Hans Montero led off the inning with a walk and later came in to score on a double play which gave Tampa a 2-1 lead. Just like the second inning, Palm Beach responded right away in the next half inning. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Sammy Hernandez hit a single and Cordoba launched a two-run home run to left field, his second home run of the season, to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game by a 3-2 score.

Tampa would add another run in the top of the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back singles by Brenny Escanio and George Lombard Jr. who provided a double-steal with runners at the corners making it a 3-3 ballgame. Savacool finished his start with a no-decision on five innings pitched and allowed three earned runs.

The Cardinals went back to producing runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Salazar reached on a fielder's choice to bring a run home giving the Cardinals a 4-3 lead. Two batters later with the bases loaded again, Trey Paige hit a sacrifice fly to give Palm Beach a 5-3 lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, with Hunter Kublick (W, 1-0) in his third inning of relief for Palm Beach, Jackson Castillo led off with a single and later scored on a two-out, RBI single by Coby Morales to cut the Cardinals' lead to 5-4. Palm Beach would add plenty of insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning as they scored four runs on four hits, highlighted by an RBI single by Miguel Villarroel and a bases-clearing, three-RBI double by Chase Davis which made it a 9-4 lead which held for the final score.

Eight of the starting nine hitters for Palm Beach had at least one hit and all nine reached base in the ballgame. Cordoba led the way offensively by going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, a stolen base, and three runs scored. Davis went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored. Villarroel went 2-for-5 with an RBI, run, and two stolen bases bringing his league-leading hit total to 66.

After the off day on Monday, Palm Beach will continue their 12-game homestand on Tuesday, June 4th at 5:00 p.m. when they welcome the Dunedin Blue Jays for the start of a six-game series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

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.