American Falls 12-4 To Palm Beach Central In HSBN Preseason Opener

Don’t tell these two teams that preseason games have no meaning.

Palm Beach Central and American pitted themselves in a competitive contest that carried more the feel of a regional playoff than simply being both team’s first action of the 2013 preseason. This rare meeting between these two talented ballclubs in the opening night of the HSBN Preseason Classic at North Broward Prep helped to stoke the competitive fire, with each club determined to defeat an opponent they knew in reputation alone.

In the end the Bronco’s big bats proved to be just too much, as Palm Beach Central pulled away for a 12-4 victory.

“Offensively we swung the bats well,” Patriots manager Ricky Gutierrez said. “We battled and played the game well. It’s not really just about the win or loss; when you’re playing a good quality team it’s good to see where you’re at. I think we’ll be fine.”

Though the final result may suggest otherwise, this one was not easy for either ballclub.

The Bronco’s rode the momentum of a big, four-fun third inning to swing the pendulant in their favor after falling behind 3-0 early on. Junior infielder Jameel Edney took a high fastball and delivered it high over the centerfield fence to put Central up for good at 4-3.

It was Edney again in the sixth inning who connected for a towering three-run homer that put the game away.

“Our 3-4-5 hitters did their job real well tonight,” Broncos manager Scott Benedict said. “It seemed like they came up with big hits all night for us.”

Edney finished 3-for-4 and scored three times, while Joe Shue, Danny Hernandez and Ian Hagenmiller each collected two hits apiece.

The Gladiators drew first blood with a three-run second inning, chasing Central starter Jorge Alonso in the process.

Catcher Steven Alvarez drew a leadoff walk and gave way for courtesy-runner Eric Gonzalez. Junior Matt Ruiz followed by drilling a liner past the first baseman, and two batters later second baseman Kris Perez nailed the ball streaming down the third baseline to send Gonzalez in for the game’s first run.

Edison Cabrera pushed Ruiz home with a sacrifice flyout, and Romy Gonzalez laced a shot up the middle that took a tough bounce and clipped Bronco’s second baseman Raige Hasko in the cheek, allowing Perez to cross the plate and make it 3-0.

“It was very good intensity for our first preseason game,” Benedict said. “We gave them some runs early on and got in a hole. They are a really good team, so it was good to see us come back. We kept our composure and got the momentum back to where we could use our speed and handle the bats properly.”

Kendrick Gutierrez connected for a deep home run to right field for the Gladiators in the fifth inning. But American was unable to mount a rally against reliever Kyle Magnor, who earned the victory while recording six strikeouts in three and a third innings of work.

After being forced into action when Williams exited with injury, the Gladiators’ Lopez proved to be a workhorse in throwing 78 pitches over three and two third innings.

“Lopez pitched well, but if you make some mistakes against a good club like that they will make you pay,” Gutierrez said. “It was a good game, but seeing our big guy go out and be in the dugout in pain seemed to take the air out of us. He is our horse and the momentum changed once he went down.”

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