Palm Beach Becomes First FSL Team to 10 Wins with 5-2 Victory over Jupiter
FSL Palm Beach Cardinals

Palm Beach Becomes First FSL Team to 10 Wins with 5-2 Victory over Jupiter

Published on April 17, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Palm Beach Cardinals News Release


JUPITER, FL - The Palm Beach Cardinals (10-3) picked up their ninth win in 10 games with a 5-2 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads (4-9) on Friday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. With the win, the Cardinals are the first team to reach 10 wins in the Florida State League in 2026.

The Cardinals scored first in the bottom of the first inning. After striking out the first two hitters he faced, Hammerheads starting pitcher Nate Payne walked Jack Gurevitch and hit Yordalin Peña with a pitch. A passed ball and wild pitch scored later scored Gurevitch which gave Palm Beach a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth inning off Palm Beach starting pitcher Jack Martinez, Andres Valor hit his first home run of the season, a solo home run to left-center field, to tie the ballgame at 1-1. Valor's home run was the first hit and first run given up by Martinez.

The Cardinals' offense loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, Payne struck out Ryan Mitchell on an overturned ball call for his career-high 11th strikeout of the game which kept the game tied at 1-1.

Martinez finished his start with a no-decision after he pitched four innings and allowed one run on two hits, three walks, and tallied two strikeouts. Kaden Echeman (W, 1-0) was the first pitcher out of the Palm Beach bullpen and escaped a bases-loaded jam after surrendering a double, walk, and single with no outs.

Immediately after Echeman kept the game tied, Palm Beach went to work on offense in the bottom of the fifth inning. Payne was removed for Michael Perez (L, 1-1) on the mound for Jupiter and Jonathan Mejia launched the first pitch he saw for his second home run of the season, a solo home run down the right field line, to put Palm Beach on top by a 2-1 lead.

In a back-and-forth affair, Jupiter tied the ballgame in the top of the sixth inning as PJ Morlando hit a solo home run to lead off the frame off Echeman to tie the game at 2-2.

The game did not stay tied for long. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Cameron Nickens was hit by a pitch and Christian Martin dropped a bunt single to put two runners on base. Trevor Haskins followed with an RBI double to give the Cardinals back the lead. Johnfrank Salazar, in his season debut, hit an RBI single to make it a 4-2 Palm Beach lead.

Palm Beach added one more run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Nickens hit a ground ball to center field, which scored Alex Birge from second base to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead.

Liam Best (H, 1) pitched the seventh and eighth innings for Palm Beach and shut down the Jupiter bats. Best issued a walk and allowed two hits but escaped with two shutout innings. Patrick Galle (Sv, 2) made his Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium debut in the ninth inning and struck out two hitters in a scoreless frame which earned him the save and secure the 5-2 win.

Game five of this six-game series takes place on Saturday, April 18th with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. as the Cardinals become the "Frozen Iguanas." Click here to purchase your Palm Beach Cardinals tickets.

For select Saturdays in 2026, the Palm Beach Cardinals take on the alternate identity of the "Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas!" You can join the cold front and purchase an "Ice Cold 12-Pack" ticket package to get a ticket for all Frozen Iguanas games, exclusive benefits, and access to special events as part of this season-long membership.

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.

Check out the Palm Beach Cardinals Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Florida State League Stories from April 17, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central