When the Key West community needed them most last weekend, the Conchs pulled through on the diamond.
Key West played three games last week, starting off with a road win over NSU University School on Feb. 27. The Conchs needed an extra inning to defeat the Sharks, but racked up 13 hits in the win. Roman Garcia earned some extra bases with 4 total. The freshman’s bat came alive with a pair each of singles and doubles. Nelson Ong had 3 hits and Sam Holland and Jose Perdigon each had 2. Xavier Perez and Steel Mientkiewicz accounted for the final 2 hits. Jacob Burnham got the start and struck out 4 over 3 innings. Anthony Lariz, Felix Ong and Christian Koppal all pitched in to finish off the Sharks in the 3-2 win.
On March 1, the Conchs were back at home, hosting Spanish River High School. A trio of errors cost the Conchs dearly in the 5-2 loss. Noah Burnham, Jacob Burnham, Nelson Ong, Perez and Perdigon each had a base hit. Jacob Burnham started on the mound, striking out 6 in 6 innings, and Christian Koppal finished the game.
The following morning, the Coconut Telegraph was abuzz with the tragic news that Key West had lost one of its own. The accident that took Dexter Butler’s life robbed his family and the entire community of one of the kindest, most dedicated souls the island has known. Butler’s legacy was larger than life and he shouldered it with unassuming ease. He owns a spot in the top 10 greatest hitters to ever stand at the plate in a Conchs uniform and owns the school record for career batting average.
While school officials debated whether to cancel the game, it wasn’t even a question for many of those who knew and loved Dexter and supported his family. The game was important, not for a team whose quest for a historic 12th state title was on the line, but for a grieving community with no idea what to do next. So they did what Conchs do: With the blessing of Butler’s family, who were consulted before the game, the island poured into the Rex Weech complex to watch the Conchs play for redemption against Spanish River, for a shot to stay alive in the title hunt and for a much-needed reprieve from the grief of the entire community.
Prior to the game, longtime Conchs radio announcer and Key West sports fixture Judd Wise was asked how he was going to be able to call the game. Wise, who, like so many other community members, is close to the Butler family, answered, “Very quietly.” During the game, Wise was, indeed, much quieter than usual.
Anthony Lariz started on the mound for Key West, tasked with the impossible. “Anthony Lariz pitched the game of his life,” Wise said. Lariz threw a total of 107 pitches, just three shy of the limit which would have retired him to the dugout and necessitated a reliever. He fanned 10 batters over 7 innings, walking 2 and allowing 6 hits. The team combined for a total of 5 hits, 2 from Garcia and 1 each from Lariz, Sam Holland and Perdigon, who doubled. Down by 2 in the first inning, the Conchs somehow held their composure and battled back one play at a time to win for Butler, his family and every proud Conch fan. The 3-2 score did not reflect the enormity of the night.
“The boys played their hearts out,” said Wise, “and we forgot about life for a while. For about two-and-a-half hours we cheered, roared and played. The win was for coach Butler. He was there cheering with us as you can feel it. We needed this.”
Marathon added three wins to its record last week, bringing the Fins to 5-1 on the season. The first game was Feb. 26 against district matchup Somerset South Homestead, in which Marathon racked up 10 runs with just 3 hits. Leo Mendez, Tommy Norris and Gabe Leal all singled in the abbreviated five-inning game. Gabe Leal pitched all 5 innings, striking out 9 and allowing just 3 hits and no walks in the 10-0 mercy-rule win.
On Leap Day, Marathon played Downtown Doral to another shortened game, winning 17-7 in 6 innings. Marathon’s bats were ablaze with 16 hits, including 4 from Mason Thornton. Dylan Ziels and Gabe Leal had 3 hits each, with Ziels reaching base 5 times for a perfect on-base percentage. Gavin Leal and Mendez had 2 hits each and Norris and Aidan Gonzalez added the final 2 hits for the Fins. Marathon was busy rounding the bases, with a dozen walks and 4 batters hit by pitches. Gavin Leal and Thornton paired up on the mound for 5 strikeouts.
The Fins’ final game of the week came on March 1 against Ransom Everglades. Marathon had just 4 hits, with 2 from Jack Chapman. Thornton added a double and Gavin Leal accounted for the final Dolphin hit. Three batters hit by pitches and 13 walks helped the Fins add points while Ziels effectively retired the other side inning by inning until he hit the top of his pitch count. Ziels fanned 9 in 6 innings and handed the ball to Gabe Leal, who closed out the game in three-up, three-down fashion.
Coral Shores split its games last week, losing to Dade Christian at home on Feb. 26, then beating Somerset Silver Palms in a home matchup on March 1. The Hurricanes registered 8 hits against Dade Christian, with 2 apiece from Campbell Lavoie, AJ Putetti and Eddie Holly. Maykol Bonito-Rodriguez was good for 1 base hit and Benjamin Friedman added an extra base with a double. The ’Canes worked through four pitchers in their loss against the Crusaders. Tate Brumbalow started on the mound and spanned 3 innings. When he retired to the dugout, the Hurricanes were ahead 3-0. Dade Christian broke things open in inning four and slowly pulled away in the next 3 innings to defeat Coral Shores 9-4.
Things were a little different on Friday night, when the visiting Somerset Academy Silver Palms team struggled against the pitching of Donovan Thiery and Lavoie, who combined on the mound for 13 strikeouts. The ’Canes’ bats were good for 8 hits, with 2 coming from Lavoie. Friedman had his second double of the week with the other base hits, all singles, coming from Thiery, Riley O’Berry, Michael Snyder and Grady Temkin. The ’Canes won the district game 3-2, evening their record to 2-2.
