JUPITER, FL – The Palm Beach Cardinals (16-13, 49-46) scored five unanswered runs to come back and defeat the Tampa Tarpons (21-9, 56-40) by a final score of 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in the regular season series finale. Palm Beach finishes its nine-game homestand 4-5 and finishes 4-8 against Tampa in 2026.
The Tarpons took an early lead in the top of the second inning against Palm Beach starting pitcher Cade Crossland. After two walks and a hit by pitch to load the bases for the Tarpons, Gabriel Lara drew an RBI walk to score the first run of the game. The next hitter, Dax Kilby, hit a two-RBI single to left field to put Tampa ahead 3-0.
Crossland finished 1 2/3 innings where he allowed three runs with four strikeouts as he became the first Florida State League pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts this year.
In the bottom of the second inning, Yordalin Peña put Palm Beach on the board with a solo home run to left field, his team-leading 15th home run of the year, to cut the deficit to 3-1 after two innings.
The game settled down as Keiverson Ramirez came out of the Palm Beach bullpen to make his season debut. Ramirez held Tampa through his first four innings on the mound.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Trevor Haskins reached on an infield single and advanced to third base on a pickoff throwing error by Tampa starting pitcher Sabier Marte. Johnfrank Salazar drove in Haskins on an RBI double to left-center field to cut the Tampa lead to 3-2 after five innings. The Cardinals tied the game in the very next inning off of Tampa relief pitcher Greysen Carter (BS, 3). With one out, Ryan Mitchell drew a walk and stole second base for his 30th stolen base of the year. Ryan Weingartner drove in Mitchell on an RBI single to right field to make it a 3-3 ballgame after six innings.
Liam Best (W, 3-2) pitched the eighth inning, and despite giving up a two-out single and a hit batter, worked a scoreless frame.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Mitchell opened the frame with a leadoff double and Weingartner hit a single off Tarpons’ reliever Jose Ledesma (L, 0-3). Later in the inning, Peña hit a soft ground ball on the infield where he was thrown out at first base, but it allowed Mitchell to score and give Palm Beach their first lead of the game. The next hitter, J.P. Cabrera, hit a pop up that was misplayed by Tampa second baseman Luis Escudero which allowed another run to score and give Palm Beach a 5-3 lead.
Jesus Garcia (Sv, 2) entered the game on the mound for the Cardinals in the top of the ninth inning. Despite a leadoff single, Garcia faced the minimum batters as he induced a game-ending double play to secure the 5-3 win for Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. The double play to end the game was the 10th twin killing by the Cardinals this week which is the most for a single series this year.
The Cardinals will hit the road for a six-game series against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels beginning on Tuesday July 27. Palm Beach returns home on Tuesday, August 4 to host the Jupiter Hammerheads for a six-game series. Click here to purchase your Palm Beach Cardinals tickets.
For select Saturdays in 2026, the Palm Beach Cardinals take on the alternate identity of the “Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas!” You can join the cold front and purchase an “Ice Cold 6-Pack” ticket package to get a ticket for all Frozen Iguanas games, exclusive benefits, and access to special events as part of this season-long membership.
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.