It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Palmetto ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over the Killian Cougars. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Palmetto also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2023.
Palmetto got a great performance from Jake Cruz as he struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. Cruz has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Palmetto let Alec Fuller and Jack Gordon loose on the outfield. Fuller scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Gordon got on base in four of his five plate appearances with a stolen base and a double.
On Killian's side, Zachary Fernandez was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off eight hits.
At the plate, Killian saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kendry Blanco, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jahdon Heron, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Palmetto's victory bumped their record up to 11-8. As for Killian, they dropped their record down to 6-12 with that loss, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Palmetto will challenge Braddock at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Braddock: 3.6, Palmetto: 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for Killian, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Belen Jesuit at 3:30 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
