Coral Shores stretched its win streak to 15 last week after a pair of wins, beginning with what amounted to a home run derby against Dade Christian School on April 1. Donovan Thiery started the slugfest with a solo homer to center field before the Warriors retired the side. The game went scoreless for the next two frames until Campbell Lavoie sent one over the center field fence for a solo home run of his own. Then it was Dade Christian’s turn, but unlike the Hurricane homers, this one scored three, giving the Warriors the lead until Eddie Holly drove home two with a shot to left field for home run number four of the game.
By the top of the sixth, Coral Shores was ahead 7-4. A pair of Dade Christian home runs put the Hurricanes’ win in jeopardy, but the team held on and brought home win number 15. Thiery earned the win pitching for Coral Shores while Lavoie collected the save. Lavoie, Holly and AJ Putetti had two hits each in the team total of 10.
The following night, the ’Canes won 14-4 at Mater Bay Academy. Holly and Putetti’s bats were still on fire, with each slugger logging three hits while Lavoie added two to the team’s 11-hit total. O’Berry threw four innings of no-hit ball, striking out six and walking one. Glade Harrelson closed it out for win number 16 for the team, whose 16-1-1 record should serve them well in district seedings.
Marathon had an action-packed week, playing four games in as many days. They started off at Berean Christian in West Palm Beach for a doubleheader with the Bulldogs on April 1. In game one, Marathon collected seven hits with two from Mason Thornton, who had two RBIs. Gavin Leal added a hit and three RBIs to the team totals. The Fins stole 10 bases, with three each by Thornton and Jason Stubblefield. Shane Dieguez lasted five innings, striking out four, walking none and allowing five hits and zero earned runs in an 8-3 Dolphin win.
Due to the doubleheader, the teams decided to make game one a bit shorter, cutting off play after five frames. Game two would also be abbreviated, but this time due to the mercy rule. In a resounding 14-0 win, Marathon racked up 16 hits with two each from Dylan Williams, Jack Chapman, Jack Dunn, Gavin Leal and Gabe Leal. Gabe Leal and Curren Nicolay each drove in three runs for the Fins. Roco Piscetello earned the win on the mound, surrendering just two hits, walking one and striking out one batter.
Two nights later, the Fins were at Jupiter Christian, where despite outhitting the Eagles, they lost 5-1. Gabe Leal went the distance on the mound, delivering two strikeouts and two walks while surrendering seven hits. Leal led offensively, as well, logging three hits against Jupiter. Jason Stubblefield and Thornton had two hits each out of the Fins’ nine total. The team stole five bases, but luck was with the Eagles, whose perfectly-placed hits gave them the advantage while nine stranded Fins runners made for a low score.
Marathon’s week ended in a home game against Mater Bay Academy on April 4. The Dolphins defeated the Rays 10-3 off 10 hits, led by Stubblefield, who was 3-3 at the plate. Stubblefield went on to steal two of Marathon’s eight stolen bases in the win. Williams, Thornton and Leo Mendez had two hits apiece and Gavin Leal added one. Thornton got the win on the mound with eight strikeouts, one walk and five hits allowed over five innings. Jack Chapman and Dylan Williams finished out the innings to help bring Marathon to a 14-9 record as they await their conference playoff bracket, which will precede district playoffs for the Fins.
Key West made the trip to Mater Academy Charter on April 2 to take on a talented Lions team. The Conchs put one on the board in the first inning, then the Lions answered back with an eight-run rally for a comfortable lead. Key West took advantage of a pair of errors and strong hitting from Conch bats in the third to narrow the deficit by five runs, but a strong Lions team and the unfortunate first inning were too much to overcome. Roman Garcia had three of Key West’s nine hits. Kade Maltz and Xavier Perez were good for two each in the 11-9 loss.
The Conchs then took their frustrations out on the Stingarees of Miami High in a two-game series with the 7A team. In the April 4 matchup, Key West dispatched them in five innings via nine hits, nine walks and three hit batters. Darreld Tremino and Nelson Ong had two hits each in the win. Tremino had three RBIs and Ong had two. Sam Holland had three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Jon Carlos Lampas-Gormley threw four innings for the win, striking out six, walking one and allowing four hits before Kasey Kasper closed the show for a 14-4 Conch win.
The following night, the Stingarees lasted seven innings but still ended up on the losing side thanks to a dozen Conch hits, many of which went for extra bases. Maltz registered two doubles and a triple while Pichardo had a triple and two singles. Tremino smacked three singles for three RBIs and Nelson Ong added two singles. Auggy Davila accounted for the final Conch hit. Vinnie Moline earned the win in four innings on the mound by fanning five, walking two and surrendering four hits. Maltz and Cruz Holmes also saw action, striking out two batters each. The 14-9 Conchs have just two games left in the regular season before seeing where their power rankings take them for their district matchups.
