PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (April 25, 2026) – The Palm Cardinals erased a three-run ninth inning deficit to beat the St. Lucie Mets 8-7 on Saturday night at Clover Park. The Mets had previously been 6-0 when leading after eight innings.
The Mets led 5-4 in the middle of the eighth and scored two insurance runs in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch and an Elian Peña RBI single to go up 7-4.
But the three-run lead in the ninth was not enough. Mets reliever Tyler McLoughlin walked the first two batters of the inning and gave up a run-scoring single to Alex Birge that made it 7-5. Ryan Dollar replaced McLoughlin and was greeted by a RBI double from Trevor Haskins that cut the Mets lead to 7-6. Dollar then unleashed a wild pitch that brought home the tying run. Ryan Weingartner then singled home Haskins to put the Cardinals up 8-7.
The Mets got the tying run to second base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth but Jovi Gálvez got Chase Meggers to fly out to center field to end the game.
The Cardinals moved to 10-1 on the road this season and lead the current series 4-1.
The Mets trailed 3-0 through five innings but scored five runs off reliever Alex Breckheimer in the sixth inning. Simon Juan hit a two-run double to get the Mets on the board. Meggers followed with a two-run single to put the Mets up 4-3. He would later score on a Sam Biller single to make it 5-3.
Mets pitcher Jose Chirinos was cruising in long relief. He mowed through the Cardinals lineup over 4.2 innings without issuing a walk and striking out six. The only run Chirinos gave up was a solo home run to Jonathan Mejia with two outs in the eighth inning that made it 5-4. McLoughlin relieved Chirinos and got a fly out to end the inning.
The Mets used three rehabbing pitchers over the first three innings. MiLB rehabber R.J. Gordon (shoulder) made the start and gave up three runs while recording just one out.
Fellow MiLB rehabber Nate Lavender (Tommy John surgery) pitched the next 1.2 innings without giving up a run.
MLB rehabber Joey Gerber (blister) pitched a perfect third inning on just 11 pitches.
Peña went 2 for 4 and reached base three times. Juan and Meggers each went 2 for 5 with two RBI.
Palm Beach starter Ty Van Dyke pitched 5.0 scoreless innings. He has not allowed an earned run in 19.1 innings this season.
The Mets (9-11) and Cardinals (15-5) conclude their six-game series at Clover Park on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. It’s Little League Day. All little leaguers who wear their jerseys receive free admission and a special gift courtesy of Holiday Inn Express.