JUPITER, FL – After a back-and-forth effort from both teams, the Jupiter Hammerheads (18-14) prevailed as they defeated the Palm Beach Cardinals (17-15) by a final score of 9-8 on Saturday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jupiter takes over first place in the FSL East Division and takes a 6-5 regular season series lead over Palm Beach.
After both teams failed to score in the first two innings, the Hammerheads scored first in the bottom of the third inning. After three walks in the inning committed by Palm Beach starting pitcher Cade Crossland, Esmil Valencia hit a sacrifice fly to score Abrahan Ramirez from third base to make it a 1-0 Jupiter lead.
Castillo worked in and out of jams throughout his start. However, he was limited to 4 1/3 innings pitched and allowed no runs, no hits, three walks, one hit-by-pitch, and tallied five strikeouts. Luis De La Cruz entered the game on the mound for Jupiter in the top of the fifth inning and stranded Castillo’s runners to preserve the 1-0 lead.
All this time, Jupiter did not have a hit through the first four innings on offense. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Andres Valor drove in Carter Johnson on an RBI triple to right field, his third triple of the season, and the Hammerheads took a 2-0 lead after five innings. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Carlos Sanchez launched his team-leading fifth home run of the season, a solo home run to center field, which extended the Jupiter lead to 3-0 after six innings.
The Cardinals responded in the top of the seventh inning. Jack Gurevitch led off the frame with a walk and Ryan Mitchell hit a two-run home run that cut the Jupiter lead to 3-2. De La Cruz was pulled after that for Braulio Salas (W, 3-2; BS, 1). After Brayden Smith hit a single and stole second base, Chase Heath hit a ball off the center field wall for an RBI double, which tied the game at 3-3. Cameron Nickens followed that with a two-run home run to left field to put Palm Beach ahead by a score of 5-3. In the top of the eighth inning, Mitchell sent another home run to the opposite field off of Salas, a solo home run for his first career multi-home run game, which gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead.
Jupiter stormed back to regain the lead in a big way in the bottom of the eighth inning. After two singles and a walk loaded the bases, Ramirez smacked a two-RBI double to deep centerfield that cut the deficit to one run. Yoffry Solano tied the game with a ground ball on the infield to the second baseman Mejia, who threw home too late to get Sanchez at home, which tied the game at 6-6. Jupiter loaded the bases again and Johnson lined a three-RBI double down the left field line, which put the Hammerheads back in front with a 9-6 lead.
Samuel Carpio (Sv, 4) entered the game in the top of the ninth for the save opportunity. After inducing a groundout, Yordalin Peña hit a solo home run to left field, which cut the Jupiter lead to 9-7. Carpio walked four batters in the frame, including an RBI walk to Mitchell to make it 9-8. With the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Carpio got Mejia to pop out to third base to end the game and secure the 9-8 victory on Saturday night.
With the win, the Hammerheads have won three consecutive series and take over first place in the FSL East Division.
The second “Duel of the Dean” series will conclude with the series finale on Sunday, May 10th with first pitch scheduled for 12:30 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.