Jupiter Tops Gardens In An 8A-9 Battle

Mack Lemieux threw four innings on the mound in addition to going 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate.

Anytime two rivals get together you can throw the record books out the window. It doesn’t matter if you are 11-6 or in the case of the Jupiter Warriors,  6-11; when you play your rival anything can happen. That sentiment rang true on Tuesday night as Jupiter topped the host Palm Beach Gardens 4-1.

Coming into the game in the midst of a five-game losing streak and fresh off a home loss to Seminole Ridge that saw the Warriors give up a five-run lead, Jupiter put together some clutch hits that ended up being the difference on the night. Specifically, it was those two-out hits that Manager Andy Mook thought made the difference.

“Our guys came out and played real well,” Mook said. “We finally got some two-out hits and pitching worked their butts off as always. Our defense kept us in the game, especially our outfield play. It was good to see us pull a good win off.”

Three of the four runs that Jupiter scored came with two outs in the inning. It all got started in the first inning when Warriors starting pitcher Mack Lemeiux helped out his own cause with a two-out double that brought in leadoff man Cody Wilson. Lemeiux finished the night going 2-for-3 at the plate with the RBI single, while also pitching the first four innings of the contest and allowing only one run on three hits and striking out three. Lemeuix did all this after waking up Tuesday morning with a fever.

“I woke up this morning with a 102 fever, so I didn’t feel too hot all around out there,” Lemeiux said. “I felt pretty good on the mound though and my arm was feeling good. I missed a few spots but other than that I felt good.”

Following Lemeiux’s lead in the first, Chase Bishop came to the plate with two outs in the second and hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0.

“I was just trying not to get out and it turned into a single and two RBIs,” Bishop said.

Nick Horvath went 2-for-3 on the night with an RBI.

The Warriors tacked on one more run for insurance on a Lance Fry RBI double in the sixth, but those early inning runs would be all they needed for the win. The victory was a testament to the fact that, even throughout some tough times this season, the Warriors have never given up.

“A lot of teams when they are 6-11 could just get down and not work real hard,” Mook said. “These guys work real hard at practice and you can see that they believe that it matters at the end. We have been close in every single game, so we just need to keep competing and keep battling.”

For Palm Beach Gardens, their one run came on an RBI sacrifice fly by Nick Horvath in the fourth inning. In the end, the Gators were unable to take advantage of runners on base, stranding nine men on the base paths throughout the night.

“We had some chances and some guys in scoring position but we just couldn’t get that big hit,” Manager Joe Russo said. ” I give Jupiter credit. They had two two-out base hits for their first three runs and we had a costly error. But they buckled down when they needed to and it was tough.”

This wasn’t just any win for Jupiter. In addition to getting a district win, Jupiter ended their losing streak and they got to do it by beating their rival Gators on their home field. All this, plus his tight bond with Russo, made it that more special for Mook.

“Coach Russo coached me and was one of my coaches at Jupiter when I played there, and I have known Joe for a long time,” Mook said. “You always want to beat the guys that you compete with and have a rivalry with. You get a little more fired up when you play, especially in our district, and it feels better when you beat them.”

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