JUPITER, FL – The Jupiter Hammerheads (11-20, 48-49) dropped the series opening game to the Clearwater Threshers (17-13, 57-39) by a final score of 15-4 on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Clearwater scored the first two runs of the game against Jupiter starting pitcher Victor Rodriguez who made his Jupiter home debut. In the top of the second inning, Carson DeMartini drew a walk, stole second base, and advanced on a passed ball to move to third base. Matthew Ferrara drove in DeMartini on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. In the top of the third inning, Victor Cardoza hit a solo home run to extend Clearwater lead to 2-0.
Echedry Vargas provided an immediate response for Jupiter in the bottom of the third inning. With the bases empty and two outs, Vargas blasted his sixth home run of July, and team-leading 12th home run of the season, to cut the deficit to 2-1 after three innings.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Jupiter evened the score. With one out, Luis Arana and Luis Cova hit back-to-back singles and advanced to second and third base on the same play. Arana later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2 after four innings.
Rodriguez finished his Jupiter home debut with four innings pitched and allowed two runs, two hits, two walks, and struck out six batters in a no-decision.
Engel Peralta (L, 0-2) came out to pitch the top of the fifth inning for Jupiter out of the bullpen and ran into some trouble. Clearwater sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs on five hits highlighted by a two-run home run by Robert Phelps to take a 10-2 lead. Peralta only recorded one out before Franklyn Moreta came in to finish the rest of the frame. Moreta ran into trouble of his own in the top of the sixth inning when Clearwater scored five runs and took a 15-2 lead.
The Hammerheads got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when Cova drove in Andres Valor on a sacrifice fly to centerfield to cut the deficit to 15-3.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Valor drove in another run with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 15-4 after seven innings. Jonawel Valdez and Gerinton Mendez combined for four scoreless innings out of the Jupiter bullpen to hold the Threshers scoreless to finish the game. Both teams did not score a run after the seventh inning as Jupiter fell by the 15-4 final score on Tuesday night.
Valor finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Vargas led the offense after he went 2-for-3 with the solo home run and a run scored.
The battle of the shark-named teams continues with game two on Wednesday, July 29 with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Click here to purchase your Jupiter Hammerheads tickets.
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is “America’s Busiest Ballpark” as the only home of two full season minor league affiliates. Enjoy the best entertainment membership packages in Palm Beach County with our staple programs like “Rockwell Hearing Center Silver Sluggers” every Wednesday for all fans 55 and up, “Thirsty Thursdays” every Thursday for all fans 21 and up, and “Code Ninjas Kids Club” every Saturday for all fans 15 and under.
New to 2026, fans can purchase tickets to the Jupiter Medical Center Champions Club down the left field line for an elevated baseball experience. Returning for 2026, every Tuesday game is a “2-for-1 Tuesday” where fans get two reserved box tickets for the price of one ($15) and every Sunday game is a “$10 Sunday” where all tickets are just 10 dollars. For more information on tickets, schedules, promotions, and more, call the ticket office at 561-630-1828 or visit the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium website.
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. Branded as “America’s Busiest Ballpark,” this year-round facility can accommodate everything from birthday parties to corporate outings to tournaments, while never forgetting that every fan is our most important priority.