Senior center fielder B.J. Boyd connects on a swing in the bottom of the third inning against Adrian Wilcox High School this Wednesday The Vikings would pull out the 2-1 victory over the Chargers.
– Edward Mei
[[nid:30320 left full]]The Palo Alto High School baseball team (6-1-0) defeated the Adrian Wilcox High School baseball team (5-3-0) in dramatic fashion, 2-1, today at Paly.
In a game mostly dominated by defensive prowess, the Vikings jumped on a late error committed by the Charger defense and senior center fielder B.J. Boyd scored the go-ahead run to put the Vikings ahead, 2-1.
The Vikings set the tone early on defense, with senior pitcher Kevin Kannappan leading the defense to a quick three outs. Kannappan delivered a solid outing, allowing only six hits and throwing five strikeouts in six-and-one-half innings of work.
Later in the first inning, Boyd chalked in the first run of the game off of senior outfielder John Dickerson’s RBI single.
From there, the game dragged on as both teams struggled to develop any momentum offensively. The exceptional infield play of the Vikings paired with the stellar pitching from both teams dominated the batters and muffled any chance for a score.
However, Wilcox would charge back in the top of the sixth inning behind a quick home run that sailed deep into center field, just beyond the outstretched glove of Boyd and over the fence, tying the game at one apiece.
Yet the Vikings stayed poised and alert, and soon after they found themselves in a situation to take the lead with Boyd positioned at third base. Then, after an extended at bat for senior shortstop Austin Braff, the Wilcox catcher failed to stop a wild pitch and Boyd sprinted across home plate to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead.
“I was waiting for someone to hit me with a pop fly to tag up,” Boyd said after the game. “But that didn’t happen. Then the coaches gave me the green light, so I waited for the right opportunity and ran.”
Fittingly, Boyd would seal the victory by catching the final out in deep center field.
Head coach Erick Raich praised Boyd on his late-game heroics and stressed his importance to the team.
“We put him in that lead up spot for a reason,” Raich said. “He had a great at bat, good at bats all day today, I thought, and we need him to have a great year for us to do well.”
Afterwards, coach Raich summed up the team’s win.
“lt was a good win, a good team win,” coach Raich said. “I think we squeaked one out here today. But we better get ready for Wilcox on Friday, because they’ll be hungry and ready to go.”
The Vikings finish up their two-game series against the Chargers 3:30 p.m. this Friday at Adrian Wilcox High School.