Yoffry Solano hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the Jupiter Hammerheads a 3-2 victory over the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Jupiter entered the game with a 17-25 second-half record and a 54-54 overall record. St. Lucie came in at 16-26 in the second half and 49-59 overall. The victory moved the Hammerheads past an early two-run deficit.
St. Lucie Takes Early Lead
Elian Pena opened the scoring with a solo home run against Jupiter starting pitcher Victor Rodriguez in the top of the first inning. St. Lucie later loaded the bases, but Rodriguez escaped the inning with the Mets leading 1-0. Rodriguez finished four innings, allowing one run, four hits, one home run, one walk and one hit-by-pitch while striking out five batters.
Tristan Stevens made his second rehab appearance with Jupiter in the top of the fifth inning. Pena hit his second solo home run of the game to lead off the inning, giving St. Lucie a 2-0 lead. Stevens completed two innings, allowed one run and struck out three batters.
Jupiter Answers Late
The Hammerheads began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. Victor Ortega doubled and Luis Arana reached on an infield single, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Josh Hogue then hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field that scored Ortega and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Both offenses remained quiet until the bottom of the eighth inning. Hogue drew a leadoff walk against St. Lucie pitcher Connor Ware before Solano sent a two-run home run over the left-field wall. The homer was Solano’s first Single-A home run and his first extra-base hit as a right-handed hitter this season.
“A literal laser beam puts us ahead,” the Jupiter Hammerheads posted after Solano’s go-ahead swing. Walin Castillo retired the final nine outs to earn the victory, striking out three batters and allowing two hits. It was Castillo’s first appearance for Jupiter since July 11, when he was placed on the seven-day injured list after a loss to St. Lucie.
Series Continues Wednesday
The Jupiter Hammerheads and St. Lucie Mets are scheduled to continue their six-game series Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jupiter will face St. Lucie in the next game of the series.
Source: Original report