Press Release: JUPITER, Fla. (Sept. 3, 2021) – St. Lucie Mets pitcher Oscar Rojas dazzled in a 2-1 complete-game victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads on Friday night a Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium (Box score).
The only run to score against Rojas came on a ground out. Rojas (6-3) scattered five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out six. Remarkably he only needed 86 pitches to go the distance.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jupiter couldn't turn an inning-ending double play on a ground ball by JT Schwartz and Rowdey Jordan came home to score from third base.
Omar De Los Santos led off the fifth inning with a triple against Jupiter starter Chris Mokma. Jordan hit a sac fly on the next pitch to put the Mets up 2-0.
Meanwhile Rojas was in total command. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, giving up just a leadoff single to Victor Mesa, Jr. in the second inning during that span. Rojas only needed four pitches to retire the side in the third inning. He struck out the side in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning he threw just eight pitches.
Paul McIntosh led off the sixth inning with a double. He was the last batter to reach base against Rojas until the ninth inning. McIntosh advanced to third on a ground out and scored on ground out by Jose Salas.
Rojas threw just six pitches in the seventh inning and only five pitches in the eighth inning.
Sam Praytor singled to start the ninth inning. With one out Cody Morissette singled to set up runners on first and second. Osiris Johnson then lined a ball to third base that was caught by Warren Saunders. Saunders then threw back to second base to double off Praytor to end the game.
It was Rojas's thirds complete game for St. Lucie. He pitched a five-inning complete game against Fort Myers in June and a seven-inning complete game later in June vs. Dunedin.
Mokma (1-6) took a tough loss. In a quality start he gave up two runs over 6.0 innings.
The Mets have won three of the first four games of the series and are now back on top of the Hammerheads by 0.5 games in the Low-A Southeast East Division.
The Mets (55-48) and Hammerheads (55-49) play the fifth game of their series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Rojas a LOW pitch complete game win.
ReplyDeleteRojas was hurt and missed all of 2019 and 2020. Except for 113 games in the Mexican league this winter, very little pitching in the last two years but he is making up for it now.
ReplyDeleteIncredible in a day where guys often are at 100 pitches after 5, that Rojas threw just 86 over a full 9.
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