The St. Lucie Mets started the last month of the regular season with a wire-to-wire 8-3 win over the Clearwater Threshers on Friday at Bright House Field.
The Mets scored three runs in the first, two on a home run by Jared King, and cruised the rest of the way.
Jeremy Hefner, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, made his second start for St. Lucie. He pitched four innings and allowed two hits and two runs. He walked three and struck out five. Hefner retired seven of the last eight batters he faced. The one that reached made it on an error.
The Mets started to pull away in the fourth. Leading 4-2, they loaded the bases with no outs against Mark Leiter. Leiter then walked Jeff McNeil to force home a run. Leiter was removed, but Lino Martinez came in and threw a wild pitch to allow another run to score and the Mets led 6-2.
Martinez would go on to pitch five innings of one-run ball, but the Threshers didn’t do much offensively.
Hefner gave up a homer to Brian Pointer in the second and Harold Martinez followed with a double. Those would be the only two hits for the Threshers until Anthony Phillips led off eighth with a single.
Seth Lugo pitched four innings of relief after Hefner left to earn the win. Lugo didn’t allow a hit in his first three innings, but Phillips, J.P. Crawford and Brandon Short all got hits to start the eighth and cut the deficit to 7-3. Lugo would settled down to get the next three Thresher in order.
The Mets added a final insurance run in the ninth when Gavin Cecchini drew a bases loaded walk.
Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth to end the game.
Cecchini, Maikis De La Cruz and Eudy Pina - the last three hitters in the Mets order - combined to go 6 for 12 with four runs, two RBIs and two walks. All three players had two hits.
McNeil went 2 for 3 with a double, triple, walk and two RBIs from the leadoff spot.
King had his second straight multi hit game. His home run was the first for St. Lucie.
With the win, the Mets snapped an eight-game road losing streak. They improved to 5-0 against Clearwater this year. team press release
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