St. Francis came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Palma Chieftains and snuck past 8-7. That result was just more of the same for these two, as St. Francis also won the last time the pair played last Wednesday.
Micah Cervantes made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Cervantes was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Evan Dyer, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. JR Pedro Ibarra was another key contributor, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with a stolen base and two RBI.
On Palma's side, they got a big performance out of Rocco Razzeca, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Kaleb Shannon, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Palma didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 11 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
St. Francis is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Palma, they now have a losing record at 7-8.
St. Francis will be playing in front of their home fans against Monterey at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Monterey: 3.5, St. Francis: 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for Palma, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Monte Vista Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Monte Vista Christian is coming into the matchup with 11 straight losses on the road, meaning Palma will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
