Hammerheads win slugfest 11-7 over Mets

JUPITER, Fla. (July 20, 2024) – The Jupiter Hammerheads defeated the St. Lucie Mets 11-7 in a slugfest at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday evening.

The teams combined for 29 hits with the Mets outhitting the Hammerheads 15-14. The Hammerheads scored in each of their first five innings and took advantage of 12 walks, the most issued by the Mets in a game this year. The game lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes which is the longest nine-inning game for St. Lucie this season.

The Hammerheads scored four in the first inning and knocked out Mets starter Ernesto Mercedes with just one out in the inning. Mercedes struggled with his command, walking two batters, plunking another and throwing two wild pitches. Ryan Ignoffo, Davis Bradshaw and Spencer Bramwell had run-scoring hits in the frame.

Jupiter starter Jake Brooks, who had posted a 0.56 ERA vs. the Mets this season, was not as sharp against St. Lucie this time around. Willy Fanas got the Mets on the board with a RBI single in the fourth inning to make it 5-1. Yohario Cuevas belted a two-out, two-run double off Brooks in the fifth inning to cut the Mets deficit to 7-3. Brooks would get through the inning. He scattered eight hits and three runs over 5.0 innings to get the victory and improve to 7-1.

Jupiter scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth vs. reliever Edgar Moreta to expand its lead to 10-3.

The Mets entered the top of the ninth down 11-3 but made a run at the lead by scoring four times. Cuevas had another two-run hit and Kevin Villavicencio hit a RBI triple off the top of the wall. Fanas drove home Villavicencio with a single to make it 7-4. However, Juan Reynoso was able to retire Diego Mosquera and A.J. Ewing to end the game.

Villavicencio went 4 for 5 and fell a home run short of the cycle.

Cuevas was 2 for 5 with four RBI.

Fanas was 3 for 5. He has seven hits over his last two starts.

Ignoffo went 5 for 5 and reached base all six plate appearances for the Hammerheads.

The Mets (8-15, 30-59) and Hammerheads (11-12, 47-42) conclude their three-game series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.