Carmel had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.8 runs), and they went ahead and made it six on Monday. They had just enough and edged the Palma Chieftains out 5-3. This was payback for Carmel, who suffered a 5-4 loss the last time these two teams met.
Zander Lunt made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Lunt was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
In other batting news, Bixby Moranda was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a double. Matt Maxon was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs.
Like Carmel, Palma also got a great game from a two-way player: Rocco Razzeca. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off four hits. Razzeca was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Johnny Carnazzo made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Kaleb Shannon, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a stolen base.
Carmel pushed their record up to 7-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs per game. As for Palma, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Carmel will have a chance to go back-to-back against Palma: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
