JUPITER, FL – The Jupiter Hammerheads (18-25; 55-54) defeated the St. Lucie Mets (16-27; 49-60) by a final score of 16-8 in a back-and-forth ballgame on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The 16 runs tied a season high for runs in a game after previously reaching that mark on July 26 at Lakeland. The Hammerheads also hit a season-high five home runs in the contest.
In the bottom of the first inning, Jupiter got off to a fast start offensively against Mets starting pitcher Owen Woodward, who made a rehab assignment. After Jacob Lombard drew a one-out walk, Echedry Vargas blasted his 17th home run of the year to left field, a two-run home run, to put Jupiter ahead 2-0 after the first inning.
Jupiter added to their lead on the bottom of the third inning. Yoffry Solano and Jeremy Almonte hit back-to-back singles to open the frame, and Jake McCutcheon drove in Solano with a sacrifice fly. Two hitters later, Lombard sent another run home with an RBI single to center field for his third professional RBI. Two more runs scored in the inning thanks to a balk and RBI infield single by Andres Valor, which gave Jupiter a 6-0 lead after two innings.
St. Lucie responded on offense in the top of the third inning against Jupiter’s starting pitcher Manuel Genao. Elian Peña and Aiden Robbins each hit RBI singles with two outs to cut into Jupiter’s lead and make the score 6-2 after the top of the third.
Jupiter got back to work on offense in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cam Kozeal led off the frame with a solo home run to left field, his first professional home run, to extend the Hammerheads’ lead to 7-2 after four innings.
The game continued to go back-and-forth as the Mets cut into Jupiter’s lead. Bohan Adderly reached on a throwing error but Hammerheads’ shortstop Lombard. Adderly later scored on a throwing error by the catcher Almonte as Dylan Carey stole second base which made it a 7-3 lead for Jupiter after the top of the fifth.
Genao finished a solid start for Jupiter with five innings pitched and allowed three runs, two earned runs, four hits, no walks, and struck out six batters. Genao finished one strikeout away from his 100th strikeout of the year.
Ian Medina was the first Hammerhead out of the bullpen as he came in to pitch the top of the sixth inning. Medina ran into some command issues as he walked four batters, including an RBI walk to Adderly, to give the Mets a run. After that, Carey hit a two-RBI single to cut the Jupiter lead to just one run. Medina could not finish the inning as he loaded the bases with two outs. Davidxon Lara (W, 1-0; BS, 1) came on for the final out, however, Aiden Robbins hit a two-RBI single which gave St. Lucie its first lead of the game at 8-7.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Hammerheads caught a huge break. With two outs against St. Lucie pitcher Jose Lopez (L, 1-2), who was in his fifth inning of relief, Lombard reached on a dropped catch error by St. Lucie left fielder Kuhio Aloy. Then, Vargas hit his second home run of the night, a two-run home run to left field, for his team-leading 18th home run of the year as the Hammerheads took a 9-8 lead after six innings. For Vargas, it is his second two-run home run game of the year.
Samuel Carpio (H, 2) entered to pitch the eighth inning for the Hammerheads and struck out all three hitters he faced in the top of the eighth inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jupiter added on to their lead in a big way as 12 batters came to the plate and seven runs scored. Jake McCutcheon led the inning off with a home run to right-center field, which was his first home run since June 26. Kozeal followed with a double, and Lombard drove him in with an RBI single to center field. Valor added to the Jupiter total with a blooped RBI single to center field to score Lombard. Later in the inning, Morlando blasted a long, two-run home run to left field which had an exit velocity of 109 miles per hour and traveled a projected 433 feet. McCutcheon came back up to the plate again and capped the scoring with a two-RBI single to push the Hammerheads’ lead to 16-8.
Engel Peralta came out of the Jupiter bullpen for the final three outs and retired the side in order to secure the 16-8 victory on Wednesday night.
Vargas finished 2-for-5 with his two two-run home runs to lead the team with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs. Kozeal went 2-for-5 at the plate with his first career home run, double, and three runs scored. Lombard led all players with four runs scored and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three stolen bases.
The Hammerheads and Mets continue this six-game series on Thursday, August 12 with game three. 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.