Palma bounced back from its Circle of Champions championship loss to Salinas in dominant fashion Tuesday, rolling past Aptos 16-6 behind a huge day from freshman Mulan Hunkin.
Hunkin launched two home runs and drove in four runs, going deep in both the second and third innings to help fuel Palma’s explosive offense.
The Chieftains set the tone immediately with a massive first inning as Santa Clara commit Kiersten Jara, Analysia Rocha, Sophia Marquez, Ashlyn Urmanita, and Brynn Baxter all delivered run-producing hits to build an early cushion.
Palma finished with 15 hits, with Jara and Hunkin each collecting three while hitting back-to-back in the lineup. Keilani Pato-Guardado added four strikeouts in relief as the Chieftains piled on runs and swiped six bases in the bounce-back victory.