The Lady Fins of Marathon hosted Ransom Everglades April 7 for what would be their only softball contest of the week. Downpours in Miami deleted a game slated for the following afternoon, but the team made the most of their single outing.
Ransom struck first, putting a run on the board early in the first, but it was nothing but Dolphin Country from there. Sara Robinson singled, doubled and tripled to lead the offense. Maeve Merryman, Madelyn Thornton, Elianys Roque, Kayla Skaarup and Ana Boose contributed two hits each to what amounted to a 17-hit team total. Nearly all of the team registered at least one hit, and once on base, the Fins did not stop there; runners stole seven bases, four by Merryman alone. Boose pitched four solid innings, fanning six, walking one and giving up just one hit and one unearned run in the 16-1 mercy-rule win.
Key West’s seven-game win streak came to an end on April 10 when the Lions of Kings Academy paid a visit. Brianna Brenner pitched a solid game, striking out four over six innings, but the Conch bats were unusually quiet, delivering just four hits. Two of those hits came from Maicee Gage, with Ariana Garcia and Charlie Bracher owning the other two in the Conchs’s 5-3 loss.
Later that day, LaBelle made it a two-game slide for the Lady Conchs, despite a perfect day at the plate from Garcia. The sophomore slugger added a single, triple and a home run to lead the offense for Key West. Chloe Kongos added her own two-run home run and Lilee Gage singled in a five-hit showing for the Conchs. Key West tested a trio of pitchers against the Cowgirls, with Brenner, Ryleigh Harnish and Kaleaya Dickerson all seeing time in the circle. The Cowgirls matched Key West in hitting, but discipline and patience at the plate drew a dozen walks for LaBelle, making the difference in the 8-5 loss for Key West.
Key West lost their third straight on April 11, their biggest slide this season, to 6A Doral Academy. The Firebirds, ranked No. 1 in all of Florida for all classifications and No. 20 nationally, held the Conchs to just two hits – one by Garcia and the other off the powerful bat of Lucy Katz, whose home run blast was the only point Key West put on the board against the Firebirds. Brenner struck out three and walked one, but Doral’s bats were as fierce as their hurler, resulting in a 13-1 loss for Key West.
The Lady Conchs returned to their winning ways hours later against Stoneman Douglas. Brenner was at the helm again, tossing for three strikeouts, three walks, four hits and a single unearned run. Lilee Gage singled twice with two RBIs and Shylo Sanchez, Garcia and Dickerson added one hit each in a 5-1 win to put the Conchs at 12-7 with just two regular season games remaining on their schedule.
In the Upper Keys, Coral Shores made the best of foul weather against a trio of unlucky opponents. The Hurricanes rode roughshod over Ransom Everglades on April 10, delivering a 14-4 mercy-rule loss to the Raiders on their home field. The win for Coral Shores was fueled by 15 hits, 10 walks and a hit batter, giving the Hurricanes plenty of laps around the bases. Natalie Cornaire logged three hits while Arianna Talan, Pressley Bagwell, Addison Grady and Alyvia Prince added two each. Aubrey Killmurray, Bayley Catarineau, Mira Jones and Vanessa Cawley had one hit each. Cawley’s was a double and Jones went yard with her third home run of the season. Prince led the defense, striking out four batters in five innings.
The following day, it was two more games and two more wins for the Lady ’Canes. First was a 10-9 16-hit win over Mater Bay Academy. Jones and Addison Grady added three hits each while Prince, Bagwell, Cornaire and Caylyn Gwilliam each logged two. The Hurricanes stole 10 bases from the Rays, four by Gwilliam. Bagwell and Prince shared the pitching duties in the narrow victory.
The next contest was not even close. The Hurricanes piled on 14 runs in the second inning to help fuel their win over the Braddock Bulldogs in an 18-1 rout. Grady and Prince had two hits apiece in the team’s total of eight. Killmurray, Jones, Catarineau and Lily Underwood accounted for the rest. The team drew 15 walks and added a pair of hit batters and 19 stolen bases, five by Jones, to overcome a shell-shocked Braddock in the lopsided win.
