Hernandez, Lara blast two-run homers
ST. LUCIE METS PRESS RELEASE: JUPITER, Fla. (June 23, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets started the Florida State League’s second half with a 7-2 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Friday night (Box Score).
The
pitching combo of Jordany Ventura and Saul Garcia pitched all nine innings.
Seven of the
nine Mets batters recorded a hit. Jose Hernandez and Wilfredo Lara each hit a
two-run homer. Rhylan Thomas went 2 for 4 with a triple and two runs scored.
Jett Williams drove in a pair of runs.
Thomas hit
a one-out single in the first inning, stole second base and advanced to third
on a throwing error. Williams drove Thomas home on a sac fly for a 1-0 lead.
The Mets
scored three times with two outs in the fourth against starter Chris Moxma.
Lara ended a streak of a 10 batters in a row retired with a double. Karell Paz
followed with a RBI single to make it 2-0. Hernandez then bashed a two-run
homer to left, his second of the year, to increase the Mets lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile,
Ventura was cruising. He gave up a two-out infield hit in the first inning and
then proceeded to retire 10 in a row.
Ventura
lost command in the fifth inning but was assisted by great defense. He plunked
the first batter then walked the next two to load the bases. Andrew Fernandez
hit a sac fly to make it a 4-1 game. Brett Roberts then ripped a ball to left
field that was caught on a dive by Blaine McIntosh. McIntosh popped up and
threw to second base to double off Harrison Spohn to end the inning.
The Mets
scored three in the top of the sixth to go up 7-1. Thomas hit a triple and was
driven home by a Williams single. Lara crushed a two-run homer, his
team-leading eighth, to put the Mets up by six.
Saul
Garcia replaced Ventura in the sixth and pitched the final four innings. He
scattered four hits, allowed one run, walked three and struck out nine. The
nine strikeouts are the most by a Mets reliever in a game this season. Garcia
was credited with his first save.
Ventura
logged 5.0 innings and gave up just one hit and one run. He walked three and
struck out three. Ventura improved his record to 4-2.
The Mets
have won two straight to even the series against Jupiter 2-2. The Mets are 6-4
on their current 12-game road trip.
The Mets
(1-0, 25-41) and Hammerheads (0-1, 35-32) play the fifth game of their series
at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00
p.m.
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