The Palmetto Panthers will be taking part in a tournament against the American Heritage Stallions at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. Palmetto has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since the 6th.
Palmetto came into this matchup off a tough seven-run defeat on Monday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Coral Springs by a score of 8-6 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Panthers have suffered since April 19, 2024.
Palmetto got a good showing from Michael Acosta, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. What's more, Acosta gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in February.
At the plate, Sebastian Hernandez was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Gordon, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Even though they lost, Palmetto kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, American Heritage narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past IMG Academy Gold 4-3.
American Heritage also got a great performance from Brady Snow as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Snow has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, American Heritage saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Ashley, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Ashley has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
American Heritage has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. Palmetto's defeat dropped their record down to 3-14.
Palmetto couldn't quite finish off American Heritage in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 and fell 4-2. Can Palmetto avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
