Hammerheads Defeat Tortugas 7-4 Wednesday Night to Secure Back-To-Back Wins to Open Series
FSL Jupiter Hammerheads

Hammerheads Defeat Tortugas 7-4 Wednesday Night to Secure Back-To-Back Wins to Open Series

Published on April 22, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Jupiter Hammerheads News Release


JUPITER, FL - The Jupiter Hammerheads (7-10) earned their second consecutive win against the Daytona Tortugas (5-12) as the Hammerheads defeated the Tortugas 7-4 on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. It is the second time that Jupiter has won back-to-back games with the other instance being April 3rd and 4th at Daytona in the season-opening series.

Daytona scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning for the second consecutive night. With Jupiter starting pitcher Keyner Benitez on the mound for his second start of the year, Kyle Henley drew a leadoff walk and Drew Davies hit a single to put two runners on base. After a double play turned by Jupiter, Tyson Lewis hit a ground ball that Jupiter first baseman Julio Henriquez did not pick up for the out which resulted in an error and a run to make it 1-0 in favor of Daytona.

Later, in the bottom of the second inning off of Daytona starting pitcher Sthlarlin Torres (L, 0-1), PJ Morlando launched his second home run of the season, a solo home run to left field, to tie the game at 1-1.

Benitez finished his start with 4 1/3 innings pitched with just one unearned run and struck out four batters in a no-decision.

The Hammerheads took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, Carlos Sanchez hit a single and Yoffry Solano, who made his Single-A debut, drew a walk to put runners at first and second base. Henriquez smacked a two-RBI triple down the right field line to score both runners to give Jupiter the lead. Jose Monserratte followed Henriquez with a sacrifice fly to give the Hammerheads a 4-1 lead after five innings.

Franklyn Moreta (W, 1-0) was inserted into the game in relief of Benitez in the top of the fifth inning. He set down the eight Tortugas he faced while striking out four across 2 2/3 innings.

In the top of the eighth inning, Juan De La Cruz (H, 1) was inserted on the mound. De La Cruz issued a walk to Anthuan Valencia and allowed a single to Henley but struck out the next three hitters he faced to escape the inning with no runs allowed.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Andrew Salas and Andres Valor reached on free passes with no outs. Morlando came to the plate and lined a ball down the right field line for a two-RBI double to score both runners. Two hitters later, Sanchez hit an RBI single to center field which scored Morlando from second base and extended the Hammerheads' lead to 7-1.

De La Cruz returned to the mound for the top of the ninth inning. Arnaldo Lantigua led off the inning with a solo home run to left field which cut the lead to five. Rafhlmil Torres would hit a double with one out and later scored on a throwing error. With two outs, a pair of walks loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate to end the night for De La Cruz on the mound. Jake Faherty (Sv, 1) entered the game for Jupiter on the mound. Faherty did issue a wild pitch to allow one last run to score for the Tortugas. But, the right-hander got the final out of the game as he struck out Bernard Moon with an overturned ABS challenge to secure the 7-4 victory on Wednesday night.

Morlando finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a game-high three RBIs. Henriquez went 3-for-4 with a two-RBI triple which was just the second triple hit by a Hammerhead this season.

Jupiter and Daytona face off for game three of this six-game series on Thursday, April 23rd with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 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.

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Florida State League Stories from April 22, 2026


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