Westminster Academy made the trip to Key West to take on the Conchs at Rex Weech Field in a pair of games Feb. 24 and 25. Jacob Burnham got the start on the mound on the 24th, fanning 5 in 4 innings. Andris Barroso closed out the final 3 for the win. Jack Haggard and Wyatt Kuhn had the hot bats for the Conchs with 2 hits each. Jose Perdigon, Noah Burnham, Anthony Lariz, Michael Greenberg and Caden Pichardo registered 1 hit each to make 9 for the Conchs. The game was tied up until the fifth inning, during which Key West took advantage of several Westminster mistakes. A 9-run rally ensued, securing the 12-5 win for Key West.
Saturday night was more of the same for the Conchs. Felix Ong went 5 innings on the mound, striking out 9. Marlin Takovich finished the job for Key West, fanning 3 to end the 10-0 shutout. The Conchs collected 10 hits, led by Haggard, who went 3-4 at the plate, driving in 5 runs with a triple and 2 singles. Perdigon was 3-3 with a double and a pair of singles. JD Dowling, Lariz, Greenberg and Pichardo each added a hit to their stats in the game.
Marathon played Ransom Everglades at home on Feb. 24, winning 12-7. Gavin Leal led the team with a pair of hits and 3 RBIs for the Fins. Gabe Leal, Aidan Gonzalez, Micah Sauders and Ryan Yablon each added a hit. Dylan Ziels started on the mound for Marathon, striking out 13 over 5 innings. Ryan Yablon closed out the final 2, sealing the win for Marathon.
In Upper Keys action, Coral Shores dropped a close 4-2 contest against ABF Academy on Feb. 21 before traveling to Miami to play the 7A Buccaneers of South Dade High School on Feb. 23. Steel Mientkiewicz had a double, while Andrew Putetti and Campbell Lavoie had singles for the ’Canes in a 13-1 loss.
