Following a pair of splits last week, the Marathon Dolphins and Coral Shores Hurricanes will have the only chance to duel for Keys bragging rights when they meet on Monday, March 25.
It would take 12 innings for a winner to be decided when Marathon traveled to Ransom on March 12, and unfortunately for the Fins, the win went to the Raiders. Gavin Leal registered 4 hits in 5 at-bats in the loss, while Jack Chapman, Aidan Gonzalez, Mason Thornton, Dylan Williams and Gabe Leal each had 1 hit. Dylan Ziels pitched the first 6 innings, striking out 10 batters before both Leal brothers added some relief.
Two days later, Marathon had an easier go against Berean Christian in a two-game series. In game one, Thornton started things off on the mound, lasting 5 innings and striking out 8 of the 20 batters he faced. Williams closed out the final inning in a mercy-rule 10-0 win. Gabe Leal had a pair of hits with 4 RBIs and Williams, Thornton, Ziels and Michael Merryman had 1 hit apiece.
The following day, the Bulldogs made it onto the scoreboard, facing many of Marathon’s younger athletes, but the Fins still won it in 6 innings, 16-5. Williams, Chapman, Ziels and Gabe Leal had 2 hits, with Thornton, Curran Nicolay and Wyatt Sifford adding a hit each. Gabe Leal pitched 4 innings, striking out 7, while Williams and Chapman shared the rest of the game. The Fins are off for spring break but will face perhaps their toughest opponent this season the day school resumes. Coral Shores travels to Marathon on Monday night for both a District 16 and Battle of the Keys matchup at 7 p.m.
Coral Shores split the week with a loss to Varela on March 12, then a win against Somerset South Homestead the next night. The Vipers of Varela were stingy, allowing just 2 hits, 1 each from Keller Blackburn and Benjamin Friedman. Donovan Thiery spent 3.2 innings on the mound with Riley O’Berry and Dominic Batista helping out for an inning each. The trio combined for 3 strikeouts against the markedly larger 6A Vipers.
Against South Homestead, a fellow 3A District 16 opponent, things went much better. The ’Canes were error-free in the field and drove 7 hits, 2 of which came off the bat of Thiery. The others were from Friedman, O’Berry, Batista, Campbell Lavoie and Ezekiel Myers. Once on base, Coral Shores stole 9 bases total, with 3 from Friedman. Tate Brumbalow spent 3 innings on the mound and Grayden Ross closed out the 11-1 win. The Hurricanes have a pair of games scheduled over break before heading to Marathon on Monday.
Key West continued the tradition of taking on the toughest opponents they can schedule when they traveled to American Heritage High School on March 13. There, the Conchs faced the Plantation-based Patriots, ranked sixth in 5A. South Florida is home to two American Heritage High Schools, both with top-notch baseball programs. The other is the 4A Delray Beach-based Stallions of American Heritage, a team the Conchs could face in regionals. Key West is hanging on to the No. 2 spot in 4A.
Anthony Lariz and Felix Ong paired up on the mound for Key West in a powerful performance, striking out 10 batters, walking 4 and allowing just 3 hits. Despite their best efforts and some solid hitting, 4 errors contributed to a negative outcome for Key West. Steel Mientkiewicz, Auggy Davila, Nelson Ong and Sam Holland had one hit each in the 3-1 loss.
On March 17, Key West hosted another perennial powerhouse, Belen Jesuit. The game went scoreless through the third, then Key West scored 1 in the fourth inning to claim the lead. Belen struck back in inning 5, scoring 3 runs, then added 2 each in the sixth and seventh. Key West would not score again, resulting in a 7-1 loss to the Wolverines. Noah Burnham, Caden Pichardo and Nelson Ong each had a pair of hits, and though the Conchs were perfect in the field, 11 hits from Belen proved more than enough to defeat Key West.
Next for the Conchs is a trip to California to play some of the top-ranked teams on the West Coast before heading home for the second half of their regular season.
BATTLE OF THE KEYS
Marathon vs. Coral Shores
Monday, March 25, 7 p.m. at Marathon
