The Palma Chieftains will venture away from home to face off against the Bellarmine College Prep Bells at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Palma 2.6, Bellarmine College Prep 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Palma is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Soledad on Tuesday. The Chieftains might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by seven runs or more this season.
Palma got a great performance from Jackson Harris as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Harris has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Palma let Johnny Carnazzo and Alan Gonzalez run wild. Carnazzo scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Gonzalez went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, three runs, and one double. Carnazzo continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Manny Dorantes, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Palma always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Bellarmine College Prep's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell just short of Carlmont by a score of 5-4.
Nate Bateman was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Evan Tavarez was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Palma pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Bellarmine College Prep, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-8.
Bellarmine College Prep's 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 .323. It's a different story for Bellarmine College Prep, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Palma's hitters? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
