The conclusion to the Palm Beach Central High School versus Forest Hill High School baseball game on senior night at Palm Beach Central on Tuesday, April 1 was no joke. It was a game that every player, coach, umpire and fan in attendance will never forget.
Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning to visiting Forest Hill, the Broncos rallied to tie the game — and eventually win it on a wild pitch that brought in Jabari Seguignol with the winning run.
The three-run deficit was erased with just one hit — an infield single. No ball ever left the infield. Of the seven players who completed their at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, three walked, one player was hit by a pitch, one popped out to the Forest Hill second baseman, another hit into a fielder’s choice, and another legged out an infield single on a ground ball to the shortstop.
The 7-6 victory was memorable, to say the least.
“I don’t think that has ever happened,” said Tony Gullo, now in his ninth year as the head baseball coach at Palm Beach Central. “We found a way to win. They beat us in the six-inning game, but, fortunately, we were able to pull it in the seventh inning.”
That April 1 victory improved Palm Beach Central’s record to 14-5. It was the second one-run win against Forest Hill this season. The teams played one another back on Feb. 10. Palm Beach Central prevailed, 4-3.
With the win over Forest Hill, Palm Beach Central has won five of its previous six games. That’s a promising sign, but Gullo noted that his team should have a better win-loss record.
“It has been an up and down season,” Gullo said. “We’ve given away a couple of wins. And there has been one game on paper that we should not have won, but we did.”
Moving forward, Gullo and his staff will be focusing on getting the Broncos to better execute the fundamentals.
“To be successful, it’s a matter of our team paying attention to the little details,” Gullo explained.
Palm Beach Central will conclude its regular season at Palm Beach Gardens High School on Thursday, April 10.
Then, it’s time for the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 7A postseason, which concludes with the final four in mid-May at the Lee Health Sports Complex Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
