Game Recap and Highlights: Hammerheads hold off St. Lucie Mets in 10th, win 5-4

Wilfredo Lara St. Lucie Mets Team Set

Lara, Perozo launch homers in loss

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (August 19, 2023) – The Jupiter Hammerheads defeated the St. Lucie Mets 5-4 in 10 innings on Saturday night at Clover Park (Box Score).

 

Mets catcher Vincent Perozo tied the game 3-3 in the ninth with a leadoff home run that forced extra innings.

 

Jupiter scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10^th on a sac fly by Jordan McCants. Jake DeLeo hit a crucial two-out RBI single against Christopher Vasquez later in the inning to plate another run for a 5-3 lead.

 

Jupiter reliever Dan Stanavich, who served up the homer to Perozo in the ninth, was on the verge of a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10^th. Nick Lorusso hit a shallow fly ball to center field that was dropped by second baseman Ian Lewis. Yohairo Cuevas scored the error to make it 5-4 and Lorusso advanced to second base as the tying run.

 

Stanavich recovered to strike out Nick Morabito on three pitches to end the game. It was the second extra innings win in the last four days for Jupiter over St. Lucie. The Hammerheads earned the series victory, as they have won four of the first five games.

 

Mets starter Layonel Ovalles was excellent over 6.0 innings. He allowed just two hits and two runs. Both hits and runs were solo homers hit by Brock Vradenburg and Sam Praytor. Ovalles walked one and struck out eight in the no-decision.

 

Jupiter starter Noble Meyer pitched 3.0 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out four. Meyer was the Marlins first round draft pick (10^th overall) out of Jesuit High School (Oregon) in July. The 18-year-old was making his Single-A debut.

 

Wilfredo Lara started the scoring in the game by hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning off Collin Lowe. It was Lara’s team-leading 13^th homer of the season.

 

Leadoff homers by Vradenburg in the fifth and Prayton in the sixth gave Jupiter a 2-1 lead.

 

Diego Mosquera scored from first base on a shallow double to left-center field by Lara in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 2-2.

 

A two-out RBI single by Spencer Bramwell off Elliot Johnstone in the seventh provided the Hammerheads a 3-2 lead until Perozo’s long ball in the ninth.

 

Perozo, Lara and Mosquera had two hits apiece for the Mets.

 

The Hammerheads only registered five hits but four of those hits plated runs.

 

The Mets (38-74, 14-33) and Hammerheads (59-54, 24-23) wrap up their six-game series at Clover Park on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 p.m.

Another Lara Bomb💣💣💣 pic.twitter.com/nxat7xveos

— St. Lucie Mets (@stluciemets) August 19, 2023

2nd HR in 2 days - 8th of the year for Lefty Power hitting catcher Vincent Perozo. It ties the game at 3 for the @stluciemets in the 9th but they fall 5-4 in 10. #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 @WexlerRules @ImAriBeRKO @bronxfanatic pic.twitter.com/a4AMzrJ6DF

— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) August 20, 2023