IN PICTURES: LADY FINS EDGE CORAL SHORES ON SOFTBALL SENIOR NIGHT

The Fins get fired up.

In a battle of Monroe County softball rivals, the MHS Lady Fins earned a hard-fought victory on April 18, posting a 12-11 win over the Coral Shores Hurricanes. 

The Dolphins took full control of the game early on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before a furious rally by the Hurricanes put Marathon in an 11-9 hole. The unexpected lead change was short-lived, however, as the Dolphins’ bats came alive just in time for a three-run rally in the game’s final inning, capped off by a game-winning two-run triple by senior Kayla Sipe. The team’s 12 total runs also featured the first out-of-the-park home run of the season, blasted by sophomore Kylie McDaniel.

“That one inning kind of spun out of control on us, and we had a couple of injuries,” said head coach Lance Martin. “But we regrouped and won it in the last inning. I’m proud of the way the girls came back there.”

The rally was a fitting way to end Senior Night for team leaders Sipe and Carla Bacallao. With only five players on the high school squad, the team relies heavily on contributions from middle school players and leaned on the experience and leadership of Sipe and Bacallao this season as younger players developed. 

“Our two seniors did a great job with leadership and teaching these girls how to play softball,” said Martin. “Many of these younger girls haven’t played in two or three years because of COVID. We found out that some of them hadn’t seen live pitching until they came out here. (The team has) come a long way in a short period of time. We’re starting over, and the seniors are leading the way back.”

Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.