Cardinals Use Six-Run Fourth Inning in Rout of Mets
May 31, 2025 - Florida State League (FSL)
St. Lucie Mets News Release
JUPITER, Fla. - After a 15-run hammering of Palm Beach a night before, St. Lucie's bats went quiet Saturday night against the Cardinals, snapping the Mets' four-game winning streak in an 11-1 setback at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Jeremy Rodriguez and Trace Willhoite doubled as St. Lucie (28-22), which had three hits, lost for just the second time in eight games. Yonatan Henriquez had an RBI single. Colin Houck drew three walks.
Starting pitcher Will Watson (0-4) went 3 2/3 innings and struggled through Palm Beach's six-run fourth inning. The USC product surrendered five runs on four hits while fanning five with two walks in 81 pitches.
Despite suffering their largest loss this season and first in the past seven games against Palm Beach, the Mets finished 15-12 in May, their second consecutive month with a winning mark.
Palm Beach (23-27) broke a seven-game losing skid by getting six RBIs from Maikel Hernandez, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth and promptly slugged a grand slam.
Watson and Palm Beach starter Braden Davis were sharp early and tossed two hitless, shutout frames before Anyelo Encarnacion doubled to right to open the third and advanced to third on a fielder's choice that did not produce an out.
However, Watson worked out of the first-and-third, no-out jam by inducing a weak groundout, a changeup for a whiff, and a swinging strikeout of top run producer Josh Kross to keep it scoreless.
After annihilating Palm Beach 16-1 on Friday, the Mets fell behind 1-0 when cleanup hitter Luis Pino drilled a homer to left on Watson's slider to lead off the fourth. The Cardinals added on when Bryce Madron slashed a two-out single to right to make it 2-0.
Hernandez then greeted reliever Josh Blum by launching a grand slam to right for a 6-0 edge. The blast was the second grand slam against St. Lucie this season.
The six-run inning was a season-high-tying one against the Mets.
Rodriguez spoiled the no-hit bid by Davis (1-0) by lashing a clean double to right with two outs in the fifth.
Following the host's four-run sixth, Henriquez singled in Willhoite in the seventh to end the shutout in the game that was played in 2:45.
The Mets and Cardinals conclude their six-game series with the finale on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is set for 12:30 p.m.
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