Baseball Game Preview: St. Francis Sharks vs. Palma Chieftains

For the second straight game, St. Francis will face off against Palma. The Sharks will head out on the road to challenge the Chieftains at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Palma hit St. Francis with a six-run second inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Sharks came up short against the Chieftains, falling 12-3. The Sharks have struggled against the Chieftains recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

For Palma's part, Jackson Harris looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Rocco Razzeca, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. He has become a key player for Palma: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Damien Lopez was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double.

Palma kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive contests.

Palma has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.1 runs over those games. As for St. Francis, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11-1.