The Royal Palm Beach Wildcats will face off against the Forest Hill Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Royal Palm Beach is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Royal Palm Beach fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Spanish River on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Sharks by a score of 6-5. The Wildcats have struggled against the Sharks recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Robert Gonzalez
| 02/26/25 vs Spanish River | 3 |
| 03/27/24 @ St. John Paul II Academy | 2 |
| 02/24/25 @ Seminole Ridge | 1 |
| 02/21/25 vs Oxbridge Academy | 1 |
| 02/19/25 vs Olympic Heights | 1 |
Robert Gonzalez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Miguelangel Guzman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Forest Hill waltzed into their match on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They blew past the Lions 12-6. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won three contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Ryan Gonzalez made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Yampiel Chavez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. He is becoming a predictor of Forest Hill's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Victor Garcia was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Forest Hill kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive games.
Forest Hill pushed their record up to 5-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8 runs. As for Royal Palm Beach, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Royal Palm Beach has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Forest Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Royal Palm Beach suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Forest Hill in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Royal Palm Beach have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
