For the second time in as many years, the Marathon Dolphins are South Florida Baseball Conference champions.
Marathon played at Miami Country Day on April 9 for a chance to compete in the conference final game later that week. The Fins wasted no time dismantling the Spartans, outhitting them 11-3 and winning 16-1. Gabe Leal had an impressive showing on the mound, giving up just one run with no walks and striking out three for his fourth win of the season. Mason Thornton registered three hits, two of which were doubles, and drove in three runs. Roco Piscetello and Jack Chapman had a single and a double each and Jason Stubblefield Jr. drove in three runs and tripled in the lopsided victory.
The win put the Fins in the conference final on April 11 against Ransom Everglades. The game started off with a pair of Dolphin errors, and by the end of the inning, the Raiders were up 4-0, a score that would remain until the bottom of the third when the Fins put up two runs. They did the same in the fourth, led by a Gavin Leal home run, to even up the score.
In inning five, Gavin Leal had enough of the close game and sent a fly ball sailing over the fence for a grand slam. The Raiders added one run in inning seven, but the Dolphins clinched their second consecutive South Florida Baseball Conference title, winning 8-5.
Gavin Leal ended the game with two home runs and seven RBIs. Gabe Leal and Jason Stubblefield each had a pair of hits to lead the offense for Marathon. Thornton went one batter shy of a full game, striking out seven in a solid appearance on the mound.
Now that their second consecutive conference championship is sealed, Marathon turns their attention to the FHSAA 1A Rural District 8 playoffs. The second-ranked Dolphins played third-ranked Glades Day on April 15 at home (results not available at press time) for a spot in the district title game on April 17.
KEY WEST
Key West hosted Eustis for a two-game series on April 9 and 10. In game one, the Conchs won 9-1, amassing seven hits. Freshman Kade Maltz led the charge with a single, double and two RBIs. Auggy Davila had two hits and Jackie Niles, Nelson Ong and Sam Holland had one hit each in the win. Jon Carlos Lampas-Gormley spent six innings on the mound, striking out five, walking one and giving up four hits with no earned runs. Kasey Kasper closed it out for the win.
In game number two, Vinnie Moline got the start and held it down for the Conchs in three and two-thirds innings on the mound. Kasey Kasper came in for the win, striking out six with no walks, no hits and no runs scored in his three and one-third innings of work. The team registered seven hits, two each from Roman Garcia, Ong and Caden Pichardo. Darreld Tremino doubled to account for the final run. The 5-3 win gave Key West a 16-9 record for the regular season as they look to make a run in the playoffs.
CORAL SHORES
Coral Shores traveled to Miami on April 7 to take on the Bulldogs of Braddock High. The 2A Hurricanes held their own against the 6A Bulldogs in a game that was tied at 3 apiece until the bottom of the sixth. It was then when the Bulldogs pulled ahead and held on to the lead to break the Hurricanes’ 15-game win streak. Donovan Thiery started on the mound, giving up four hits and three runs over five innings. Thiery struck out seven and walked three. O’Berry threw one inning of relief, giving up three runs off two hits and a walk.
The following night, quiet bats hampered the hopes of the Hurricanes to get back into the win column. The ’Canes had just three hits, two from AJ Putetti and one from Maykol Bonito. After seven frames, the score was 2-1 in favor of the Palmer Trinity Falcons, giving Coral Shores their third loss of the season.
On April 10, Coral Shores righted the ship, winning 8-7 in a come-from-behind nailbiter against ABF Academy Homestead. The Hurricanes trailed until the sixth inning, when the team put together four hits to score three runs, take the lead and hang on for dear life. Putetti, Donovan Thiery and Campbell Lavoie had two hits each in the team’s 10-hit total. Four Hurricanes pitched in on the mound for the win to bring the team to a 17-3-1 regular season record.
Photos by MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly
