Game Recap: St. Lucie Mets win first game of second half 7-2 over Hammerheads

 

Hernandez, Lara blast two-run homers

 

ST. LUCIE METS PRESS RELEASE: JUPITER, Fla. (June 23, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets started the Florida State League’s second half with a 7-2 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Friday night (Box Score).

 

The pitching combo of Jordany Ventura and Saul Garcia pitched all nine innings.

 

Seven of the nine Mets batters recorded a hit. Jose Hernandez and Wilfredo Lara each hit a two-run homer. Rhylan Thomas went 2 for 4 with a triple and two runs scored. Jett Williams drove in a pair of runs.

 

Thomas hit a one-out single in the first inning, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error. Williams drove Thomas home on a sac fly for a 1-0 lead.

 

The Mets scored three times with two outs in the fourth against starter Chris Moxma. Lara ended a streak of a 10 batters in a row retired with a double. Karell Paz followed with a RBI single to make it 2-0. Hernandez then bashed a two-run homer to left, his second of the year, to increase the Mets lead to 4-0.

 

Meanwhile, Ventura was cruising. He gave up a two-out infield hit in the first inning and then proceeded to retire 10 in a row.

 

Ventura lost command in the fifth inning but was assisted by great defense. He plunked the first batter then walked the next two to load the bases. Andrew Fernandez hit a sac fly to make it a 4-1 game. Brett Roberts then ripped a ball to left field that was caught on a dive by Blaine McIntosh. McIntosh popped up and threw to second base to double off Harrison Spohn to end the inning.

 

The Mets scored three in the top of the sixth to go up 7-1. Thomas hit a triple and was driven home by a Williams single. Lara crushed a two-run homer, his team-leading eighth, to put the Mets up by six.

 

Saul Garcia replaced Ventura in the sixth and pitched the final four innings. He scattered four hits, allowed one run, walked three and struck out nine. The nine strikeouts are the most by a Mets reliever in a game this season. Garcia was credited with his first save.

 

Ventura logged 5.0 innings and gave up just one hit and one run. He walked three and struck out three. Ventura improved his record to 4-2.

 

The Mets have won two straight to even the series against Jupiter 2-2. The Mets are 6-4 on their current 12-game road trip.

 

The Mets (1-0, 25-41) and Hammerheads (0-1, 35-32) play the fifth game of their series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.