Palma and St. Francis are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2023, but likely not for long. The Chieftains will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Sharks at 4:00 p.m. Palma is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
St. Francis will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Palma extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Chieftains walked away with a 10-5 win over Monterey. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Chieftains considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Jackson Harris
| 05/08/26 vs Monterey | 5 |
| 05/01/26 vs Monte Vista Christian | 3 |
| 04/22/26 @ Soledad | 3 |
| 04/15/26 @ St. Francis | 3 |
| 04/01/26 @ Salinas | 1 |
| 03/27/26 vs Monte Vista Christian | 7 |
Palma got a great performance from Jackson Harris as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over 5.1 innings pitched. What's more, Harris posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Matt Alioto, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two doubles, and one triple. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Wyatt Bakker, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Palma was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monterey only posted a batting average of .222.
Meanwhile, St. Francis owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Salinas 1-0. The game was the first time the Sharks have beaten the Cowboys on their field since April 26, 2024.
St. Francis saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angelo Urabe Chavez, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
St. Francis' victory bumped their record up to 8-16-1. As for Palma, their win bumped their record up to 18-7.
St. Francis' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Palma hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .317. It's a different story for St. Francis, though, as they've only averaged .248. Will they be able to contain Palma's hitters?
Palma came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Francis in their previous matchup back in April, sneaking past 4-3. Will the Chieftains repeat their success, or do the Sharks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
