FSL1 Jupiter Hammerheads

Jupiter Drops Doubleheader to Charlotte

Published on August 31, 2010 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Jupiter Hammerheads News Release


As he has all season, Matt Moore dominated the Hammerheads, racking up 11 strikeouts and holding Jupiter to four hits over six innings, as Charlotte took Game 1 of the series-opening doubleheader 3-2.

Moore, who leads all of professional baseball with 208 strikeouts, got number 200 in the 2nd inning of the game, becoming the first minor leaguer since Francisco Liriano in 2005 to reach that benchmark in a single season. 49 of Moore's strikeouts have come against the Hammerheads, with the lefty going 4-0 with a 0.60 ERA in five starts against Jupiter.

Yet despite Moore's performance, the Hammerheads actually struck first in the game and ran themselves out of a chance to even it up late.

In the 2nd inning, Ben Lasater led off with a grounder to the left side, but first baseman Michael Sheridan couldn't hold on for the putout, allowing Lasater to reach on the error. Lasater got to second base on a wild pitch and scored the first run of the game on the first of Ernesto Manzanillo's two doubles. Manzanillo himself would score on a single by Sequoyah Stonecipher, giving the Hammerheads an early 2-0 lead.

Charlotte answered by manufacturing a run in the next frame. Isaias Velasquez led off with a single, stole second, got to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a groundout. Reid Fronk's two-out single with the bases loaded in the 4th inning would score two runs, putting Charlotte on top with a lead they would not relinquish.

But after Moore's night ended, the Hammerheads nearly got right back in the game. Manzanillo welcomed Charlotte closer Zach Quate by lining a double to lead off the bottom of the 7th and final inning. Manzanillo got to third base on a groundout, putting the tying run just 90 feet from home. But Manzanillo wasn't willing to wait to be driven in, taking off on a suicide squeeze that appeared to catch Stonecipher off guard. Taking the pitch for a strike, Manzanillo was caught at home plate, nixing the potential rally.

Jupiter Drops Game 2 After Rally Falls Short

Hammerheads drop both halves of doubleheader with Charlotte

Despite loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the final inning, Jupiter's rally fell short as the Hammerheads fell 3-1 to Charlotte in the second game of their doubleheader.

Charlotte jumped on starter Graham Johnson early, scoring all three of their runs in the 1st inning. Tim Beckham's double - the only extra-base hit of the night for either team - allowed the Stone Crabs to put runners at the corners with two outs in the inning. But before Johnson could record the final out, Charlotte knocked out three consecutive base hits to plate their three runs.

After that outburst, Johnson held Charlotte to two more hits in as many innings, followed by Ryan Tucker's three innings of three-hit ball and a 7th inning in which Corey Madden overcame two errors by his defense to hold the Stone Crabs both hitless and scoreless.

Charlotte gave its Game 2 start to Jake Thompson, Tampa Bay's 2nd round pick in this year's draft. Making his first appearance in the Florida State League, Thompson looked right at home, holding Jupiter to just one hit in five innings of work. Stone Crabs reliever Neil Schenk took over and tossed a perfect 6th inning, before running into trouble in the bottom of the 7th.

As they have a number of times this season, Jupiter waited until the game's final frame to stage its comeback. Jake Smolinski's walk followed consecutive singles by Jeremy Synan and Paul Gran to bring the potential game-winning run to the plate with no outs. But after Thomas Hickman's sacrifice fly plated Synan, Charlotte brought on reliever Deivis Mavarez to face Danny Pertusati. Pertusati made hard contact with Mavarez's offering, but lined it right at the first baseman, who then stepped on first base for the game-ending unassisted double play.

The two teams will continue their series Wednesday night at Roger Dean Stadium, with Jupiter's Bryan Evans scheduled to face Charlotte's Joe Cruz in a 7:05 p.m. game.

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Florida State League Stories from August 31, 2010


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