The St. Lucie Mets put together one of the most stunning comebacks imaginable on Tuesday night.
Trailing 5-1 with two outs and down to their final strike in the ninth, the Mets scored four runs to force extra innings, and they went on to beat the Palm Beach Cardinals 6-5 in 12 innings at Tradition Field.
In the middle of the comeback was Phillip Evans. On a two-strike count in the ninth, Evans belted a two-run homer off of Corey Baker to cut the deficit to 5-3. After the Mets loaded the bases later in the ninth, T.J. Rivera extended the game with a two-run single off of Sam Tuivailala to make it 5-5.
Evans came up in the 12th with two down and Eudy Pina on second. He laced a single up the middle and Pina beat the throw home from center field Charlie Tilson to complete the improbable comeback win. Evans, who went 3 for 5 with three crucial RBIs, was mobbed on the infield.
The Cardinals scored four runs off of Matt Koch in the first inning, three before the Mets recorded an out. But Koch settled down to get through five innings and the Mets bullpen was outstanding. Brett Mitchell, Julian Hilario, Beck Wheeler and Randy Fontanez combined to hold the Cardinals to one run - it came on a sac fly - in seven innings.
Fontanez stranded a runner on third in the top of the 12th and earned the win. Catcher Cam Maron threw out a runner at home in the 11th on a pitch from Wheeler that got by him.
Rivera went 2 for 6. His solo home run in the sixth put the Mets on the board. At 5-1 it didn’t look like it mattered, but it turned out every run did.
Marco Gonzales held the Mets to three hits and one run in six innings. He struck out seven in the no decision.
Dilson Herrera went 3 for 6 one night after his 11-game hitting streak was snapped.- tem press release
Exciting...Phil Evans is a real prospect again, TJ continues to tear the cover off the ball, and Dilson is a machine. Cool. And I have a prediction; it may not happen this year, but sooner or later, Koch will walk another guy (4 since start of last year).
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