Two Keys softball teams are closing out the regular season with hopes of making a deep postseason run.
Key West lost a heartbreaker on the road on April 16, falling to the Florida Christian Patriots, 2-1. Despite not committing a single error and holding Florida Christian to just 3 hits, the luck was with the Patriots.
Two Patriot hits came in the bottom of the first, including a home run which scored the only 2 runs for Florida Christian. The Conchs’ Vera Rodger, Tavyn Gage and Alexa Condella each registered a hit. Breanna Breener struck out 6, walked 1 and allowed just 3 hits in the loss.
An injury-plagued Key West team will dig deep in the coming weeks as the regular season comes to a close. Rest and recuperation will be key for the Lady Conchs with the postseason approaching. With only two teams in their district participating in the playoffs, the Conchs will punch their card directly into the district championship game against St. Brendan on May 2 at St. Brendan High School.
Marathon had mixed results last week, first losing to Miami Country Day on April 15. The Fins were without their starting pitcher and facing a team which had already beaten them by 10. Daniela Gonalez and Daniuska Perdomo had the only 2 hits for Marathon, and Sara Robinson filled in at pitcher, striking out 2 batters in her first-ever performance at the position.
The Lady Fins did not take the 11-0 loss lightly, coming for Mater Academy Bay with a vengeance on April 18. Senior Allison Garcia was back in the circle for Marathon on Senior Night. Garcia fanned 5 batters in 5 innings, walking 1 and allowing 4 hits. Offensively, Garcia, who has been a staple on the team since the 2019-2020 season as an eighth-grader, went 2-for-2 with a single and double while adding 2 RBIs. Robinson and Elena Eubank each had a single and triple while Eli Roque and Gonzalez each had a pair of singles.
The 11-1 victory gave the Fins a 10-4 record with one game to go before district play. Regardless of the outcome, Marathon will most likely face Mater Bay again, this time at Florida Christian High School in the first round of postseason action on Monday, April 29.
Coral Shores participates independently for softball, making them ineligible for district competition. The Lady ’Canes, whose roster was without an upperclassman, ended their season April 12 in a loss to Everglades City. The young team went 0-5 this season.
Photos by BARRY GAUKEL and MAICEY MALGRAT.
