Boyd, Palm Beach Gardens Move On With 3-1 Victory Over Central

Palm Beach Gardens will play for the district title.

A chance to move on to the second round of the state playoffs was on the line Wednesday night, so both teams knew how important it was to win, especially after the host Jupiter was knocked out a night ago.

With all the talk about the top teams in the district, it was Palm Beach Gardens who knocked off number one seed Palm Beach Central 3-1.

After three innings of being no-hit, the Broncos found a way to get on the board against starter Joey Boyd. Lead-off hitter Gage Murray walked and was brought around on an RBI double by Joe Shue that gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead.

With Broncos starter Jorge Alfonso getting through the first four innings unscathed, the Gators knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“We needed to keep our composure,” said Gators coach Joe Russo about breaking through on Alfonso. “We need it would be tough, but we we felt like we were hitting the ball well and making solid contact.”

In top of the fifth, the Gators answered, plating three runs on four hits. Boyd helped his cause as his single brought in the first runner, while the Gators utilized a fielder’s choice and an RBI double by Nick Gallo to score the other two.

That would be more than enough, as Boyd threw a complete game, allowing one run on seven strikeouts. His command of his fastball made his secondary pitches tough to spoil as he gave up just two hits on the night.

“I like to start hitters off with my fastball because it sets up my curve,” Boyd said. “I have a lot of confidence in both my pitches, so I throw them whenever.”

After giving up a run in the fourth, he did not have trouble with the rest of the lineup. Even in the last frame when he faced the 3-4-5 hitters, Boyd got out of that with two strikeouts despite giving up a double to Gabe Martinez.

For Central, it was a bitter pill to shallow, as the Broncos have been knocked out in the district playoffs two years in a row.

“It’s tough,” Broncos coach Scott Benedict said. “Especially for the seniors, because this is their last high school game. I felt like we had the pieces to make a run, but Gardens played great tonight.”

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