The Palma Chieftains will face off against the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Palma is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last seven games.
Palma is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They came out on top against Burlingame by a score of 8-3.
Austin Rider looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.
At the plate, Dylan Rocchi was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Cesar Mercado was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Palma kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Burlingame only managed five.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Archbishop Mitty). Everything went their way against Carmel on Tuesday as they made off with a 21-0 victory. The Monarchs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten contests by six runs or more this season.
Nico Mata looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Austin Mak, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Kroenung, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Palma's record now sits at 22-7. As for Archbishop Mitty, their record is now 17-11.
Palma was able to grind out a solid win over Archbishop Mitty in their previous matchup back in May of 2016, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chieftains since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
