The Palmer Trinity Falcons will take on the Palmetto Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Palmer Trinity took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Ferguson a 6-0 shutout.
Hailey Rodriguez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Gina Marie Pineda
| 03/04/25 vs Ferguson | 4 |
| 03/21/24 vs Keys Gate | 3 |
| 02/25/25 vs Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart | 2 |
| 04/25/24 vs Lourdes Academy | 2 |
| 04/09/24 vs Mater Bay Academy | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gina Marie Pineda, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and two doubles. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Francesca Rivero also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Palmer Trinity hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ferguson struck out 15 times.
Meanwhile, everything went Palmetto's way against Lourdes Academy on Monday as Palmetto made off with an 11-3 victory. The Panthers haven't had any issues with Lourdes Academy recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Like Palmer Trinity, Palmetto also got a great game from a two-way player: Lauren Falls. She struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. With that strong performance, Falls is now averaging an impressive 5.8 strikeouts per game. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Alicia Thomason was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Thomason is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Jessica Ortiz was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Palmer Trinity pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Palmetto, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Palmer Trinity hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. However, it's not like Palmetto struggles in that department as they've averaged .406. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Palmer Trinity might still be hurting after the 12-5 loss they got from Palmetto when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Palmer Trinity avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
