St. Lucie 9 - Dunedin 3

CLEARWATER, Fla. (May 3, 2019) – The St. Lucie Mets pounded out a season-high 17 hits and walloped the Dunedin Blue Jays 9-3 on Friday at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.

PC - Ernest Dove Jr. 

Carlos Cortes slugged his second home run of the season in the second inning to put the Mets up 2-0. He went 3 for 5.

Quinn Brodey also hit his first home run of the season. Brodey added a double in the game and finished 2 for 4 with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk.

Eight of the nine Mets in the lineup collected a hit, seven players scored a run and five players drove in a run.

Nick Meyer went 3 for 4. Blake Tiberi, Jacob Zanon, Luis Carpio and Manny Rodriguez had two hits apiece.

Mets starting pitcher Kevin Smith won his third consecutive start. He logged five innings and gave up two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Conner O’Neil pitched 2.2 innings of one-run ball in relief of Smith. Joe Cavallaro pitched 1.1 perfect innings with a strikeout to end the game.

The Blue Jays briefly tied the game 2-2 in the third inning on a two-run single by Cal Stevenson.

The Mets took charge by putting up four runs in the fourth inning. Rodriguez put the Mets ahead for good with a RBI double. Hansel Moreno put a ball in play that brought in Rodriguez when Blue Jays pitcher Maximo Castillo made an error. Brodey followed with a double to plate Moreno for a 5-2 lead.

Tiberi capped the fourth inning with a RBI single that scored Brodey.

Carpio knocked a two-run single in the seventh and Brodey finished the scoring for the Mets with his home run in the eighth.

Castillo took the loss. He was tagged for six runs (three earned) in 3.2 innings.

The Blue Jays managed just six hits. Luis De Los Santos hit a double.

The Mets (15-12) and Blue Jays (17-10) will play the second game of their series at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium on Saturday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.