Kretzschmar's Double in the 12th Gives Palm Beach 8-7 Walk-Off Victory over Dunedin Thursday Night

JUPITER, FL - In the longest game of the season in terms of innings played, the Palm Beach Cardinals (32-22) defeated the Dunedin Blue Jays (26-28) by a final score of 8-7 in 12 innings on Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Kade Kretzschmar drove in Trey Paige on an RBI double to drive in the winning run as Kretzschmar became the fifth different Cardinal with a walk-off hit in 2024. With the win and Jupiter losing, Palm Beach leads the FSL East Division by three games.

The Blue Jays would score first off of Palm Beach starting pitcher Ixan Henderson with two runs in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI double by Manuel Beltre and an RBI single by Edward Duran to give Dunedin an early 2-0 lead.

Palm Beach would get on the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the third inning off of Blue Jays' starting pitcher Grant Rogers. With two runners on base and no outs, Paige drove in both runners with a two-RBI double to tie the game. Two batters later, Miguel Villarroel drove in Paige on an RBI single to give Palm Beach a 3-2 lead. The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to another Villarroel RBI single to expand the lead to 4-2 after four innings.

Dunedin responded with another run in the top of the fifth inning thanks to an RBI single by Beltre to cut the Palm Beach lead to 4-3. Henderson would finish with a no-decision in the ballgame.

With Cardinals' relief pitchers Angel Cuenca and Henry Gomez (BS, 2) tossing 3 1/3 innings pitched of scoreless ball into the ninth inning, Gomez was tasked with trying to get the three-inning save. However, with two runners on and no-outs, Victor Arias hit a sacrifice fly to tie the ballgame at 4-4. Gomez eventually escaped the ninth inning leaving the bases loaded.

After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, the game went into extra innings. Luis Gastelum came into pitch the top of the 10th inning for Palm Beach and the Blue Jays were able to score the placed runner thanks to an RBI single by Marcos de la Rosa to give Dunedin a 5-4 lead. The Cardinals responded immediately in the bottom of the frame as Lizandro Espinoza dropped a sacrifice bunt and reached on a throwing error by Blue Jays relief pitcher which allowed the placed-runner to score and tie the game at 5-5.

In the top of the 11th inning, Dunedin was once again able to get the placed runner across home plate to give the Blue Jays the lead again at 6-5. Once again, the Cardinals had a response. With Blue Jays relief pitcher Keiner Leon (L, 2-2; BS, 4) on the mound and two outs, Johnfrank Salazar hit an RBI double to score the placed-runner Kretzschmar from second base which tied the ballgame at 6-6.

For the first time in 2024, the Cardinals needed to go into the 12th inning. Benjamin Arias (W, 3-1) came out of the Cardinals' bullpen and allowed an RBI single to Daniel Perez to score the placed-runner Yhoangel Aponte from second base to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead. Palm Beach had Espinoza at second base to start the bottom of the frame. Paige would hit a single to put runners at the corners. Sammy Hernandez would hit a sacrifice fly to score Espinoza and tie the game. After Villarroel flew out to right field for the second out, Kretzschmar would hit a soft line drive to center field as Dunedin center fielder Victor Arias dove for the ball and had it bounce behind him to give the Cardinals an 8-7 walk-off victory in 12 innings on Thursday night.

Seven of the starting nine hitters for Palm Beach had at least one hit. Paige led the way by going 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBIs, and three runs scored.

After a long, yet exciting game on Thursday, the Cardinals and Blue Jays continue the six-game series on Friday, June 7th with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. You can purchase tickets to the game here.

MEGABASH: Celebrate America’s birthday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for MegaBash on July 3^rd and 4^th when the Palm Beach Cardinals and Jupiter Hammerheads hit the diamond. Click here to purchase tickets for Wednesday, July 3^rd. 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.