Palm Beach Sweeps Daytona to Advance to the FSL Championship Series
JUPITER, FL – For the first time since 2017, the Palm Beach Cardinals are going to the FSL Championship after completing the sweep of the Daytona Tortugas, winning on Thursday night by a final score of 12-4 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The Cardinals will try to earn their third
JUPITER, FL – For the first time since 2017, the Palm Beach Cardinals are going to the FSL Championship after completing the sweep of the Daytona Tortugas, winning on Thursday night by a final score of 12-4 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The Cardinals will try to earn their third Florida State League title and the first all to themselves since the first title in 2005 (Palm Beach and Dunedin were named co-champions in 2017 because the series was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma)
Just like on Tuesday night in Daytona, the Cardinals got on the scoreboard first when Joshua Baez launched a solo home run to left field to lead off the bottom of the second inning to give Palm Beach a 1-0 lead.
That score remained until the bottom of the fourth inning. Baez led off with a single, stole second base, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Josh Kross drove in Baez on an RBI double to left-center field to give the Beach Birds a 2-0 lead.
As good as Lin was through the first four innings, he ran into trouble in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Malvin Valdez reached on a fielding error by Lin himself and Carlos Sanchez drew a walk to put runners at first and second base. Diego Omaña drove in both runners on a two-RBI double to left field to tie the game at 2-2. Jason Savacool (W, 1-0) was the first Palm Beach pitcher out of the bullpen, and he stranded two runners in scoring position to avoid further damage.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals had their most productive inning all season as they sent 13 men to the plate and scored eight runs on seven hits to take a 10-2 lead in what was the most productive inning of the entire season. In the frame, Bryce Madron had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Jose Suarez also hit an RBI double which put the Beach Birds back on top.
The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Kross to put Palm Beach ahead by a score of 11-2.
Savacool shut things down in his appearance and finished with 2 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed and two strikeouts. Henry Gomez came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and allowed the final runs for Daytona as Ariel Almonte hit a two-run home run to right field which cut the Cardinals’ lead to 11-4.
Palm Beach added one more run in the bottom of the eighth as Kross hit an RBI single to make it a 12-4 score. Luis Gastelum came into pitch for the top of the ninth inning for Palm Beach and struck out the side in order and gave the Cardinals the 12-4 victory leading to a series sweep of the Tortugas.
The Cardinals notched 18 hits which was two shy of their season-high of 20 which they did in the regular season finale against Jupiter on September 8th. Baez led the Palm Beach offense after he went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and three runs scored. Madron, and JJ Wetherholt each had three hits and totaled three runs and three RBIs combined. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit and seven out of nine hitters scored at least one run in another balanced, yet dominant, offensive attack.
With the Lakeland Flying Tigers sweeping the Clearwater Threshers in the West Division Round, Palm Beach begins the FSL Championship Series on Sunday, September 16th at Joker Merchant Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (Pregame Show begins at 4:50 p.m.). The Cardinals went 6-6 against the Flying Tigers during the regular season as they go for their third title in franchise history. Listen live to the game here.
Fans can place bids here on the Palm Beach Cardinals “Diamond in the Ruff” Dog Jerseys with the deadline on Tuesday, September 17th at 8:00 p.m. Don’t miss out on your chance to wear special game-worn jerseys and support a good cause at Furry Friends.
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.