The Lady Conchs’ magical softball season came to an end May 21 in a heartbreaking loss to Lake Wales in the FHSAA 4A semifinal game. Key West led their Final Four contest from the start, pulling away with a 2-0 lead in the first inning, then picking up another in the fourth before the Highlanders were able to put a single point on the board.
That run ended a 27-inning scoreless streak compiled by the Conchs, a school record and unbelievable accomplishment, given the majority of that streak was posted against top contenders in the playoffs.
The Highlanders went on to score two more in the fifth, but the Conchs held onto the lead until the bottom of the sixth, when Lake Wales tied things up. The final at-bat led to a pair of singles for the Highlanders, who capitalized on their late-game hitting to score a walk-off run and claim their spot in the state championship game.
Maicee Gage led the team in hitting, with three of the team’s five hits. Lucy Katz and Kaleya Cervantes had the other two. The team drew six walks in the loss, including two from their lone senior Shylo Sanchez, who extended her own school record of 22 this season and 44 in her career with Key West. Sanchez also graces the Conch record book with her bat. She batted .403 this season, making her one of fewer than 20 Key West batters to hit over .400 in a season. She will extend her career at Miami Dade College next year.
The Conch defense committed an uncharacteristic six errors in their semifinal matchup, including one on the final play which allowed the go-ahead run to score. But the team delivered a fantastic performance despite the miscues. Brianna Brenner, whose pitching helped fuel the 27-inning defensive shutout, broke multiple records this season. The junior hurler has compiled 175 strikeouts this spring, though none against Lake Wales in the semifinal game. Brenner also tied the season record for most shutouts in a row (3), most shutouts in a season (9) and most strikeouts in a single game with 16 earlier this season.
Key West’s record-setting season also included 110 walks, 43 doubles and a pair of records from Arianna Garcia. The sophomore infielder is one of a handful of Conch batters to log four hits in a single game and now holds the school record for fewest walks in a season, with just one.
With a trip to the Final Four and a slew of records under their belts, the 17-10 Conchs return their entire pitching staff and all but Sanchez next season, setting the stage for a very exciting 2027 season.
