By Tracy McDonald and Alex Rickert
The Marathon Dolphins completed their regular season with three wins last week, bringing their record to 16-7. The Dolphins beat Somerset South Homestead on April 18, 10-1, cranking out nine hits in the game. The Fins called up some of their middle school players to give them some varsity-level experience, and seventh grader Jack Chapman wasted no time, making the most of his varsity debut with two hits in the win. Gavin Leal also had a pair of hits and Dylan Globe, Mason Thornton, Alex Reininger, Ryan Yablon and Gabe Leal each had one. The Fins stole eight bases in total, with four by Nolan O’Hara. Gavin Leal earned the win on the mound, facing 16 batters over four innings and striking out four. Ethan Sauders closed out the final three innings.
A doubleheader on April 19 became a single game after the Fins handed Redland Christian a decisive 18-3 loss. Bryan Broche, Brody Reininger and Leo Mendez each earned a pair of hits. The rest of the 11 were from Yablon, Globe, Sauders, Chapman and eighth grader Jack Dunn. Chapman earned his first varsity win on the mound, pitching two innings and striking out four with no hits. Alex Reininger completed the final inning on the mound before both teams decided a second game would not be beneficial.
The Dolphins’ final regular season game was a road win against Westwood Christian School. Marathon had 13 hits in the romp, beating Westwood 18-0 over five innings. Yablon led the offensive onslaught with three hits and two RBIs. Thornton, Globe and Ziels had two hits apiece and Broche, Gabe Leal, Aidan Gonzalez and Gavin Leal each had one.
Ziels earned his 100th season strikeout against Westwood, facing 11 batters over three innings. The junior ace made school history with number 100, but went on to add seven more in the win. (As of April 26, Ziels stands as Florida’s strikeout leader with the third-highest strikeout total in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com). Yablon closed it for Marathon, striking out four of the nine batters he faced and allowing no hits in his two innings on the mound.
The Fins opened their postseason on a high note on April 26, exacting first-round tournament revenge against Ransom Everglades in a rematch of the 2022 South Florida Baseball Conference championship game. Led by 16 strikeouts from Ziels in a complete-game effort, the Fins used six hits – three by Yablon alone – to top the Raiders 6-3. The Palmer Trinity Falcons are now the lone obstacle standing between the Fins and an SFBC conference championship, with the tournament final scheduled for Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at Miami Country Day School. A live stream of the game will be available on the Marathon Dolphins Baseball Facebook page.
Coral Shores traveled to LaSalle on April 18, picking up a road win against the Royal Lions. Donovan Thiery picked up the win, pitching 2-2/3 innings for the ’Canes. Tate Brumbalow, Dylan Bloom and Riley O’Berry all pitched in on the mound. The Hurricane bats could not be stopped, with 10 hits coming from five athletes. Campbell Lavoie had three, while Thiery and Ian Anderson each had two, including a triple from Anderson. A.J. Putetti and Zeke Myers each had a base hit in the win. The ’Canes lost on April 21 to NSU University School 8-1. District play begins for Coral Shores on Monday, May 1.
Key West experienced what many Florida teams face when they visit the Southernmost City on April 20 when they traveled to Broward County to take on the top-ranked Eagles of Stoneman Douglas High. The defending 7A state champion Eagles proved they deserve the number one rank in Florida baseball, beating the 4A Conchs 13-2.
After struggling in the opening frames, the Conchs managed to put numbers on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, but it would be too little, too late to take down Stoneman Douglas. Anden Rady was able to find his way around the Eagles’ pitching, registering three hits in the game. Jack Haggard had a base hit and Gabe Williams made the most of his hit, sending the ball over the fence for a fifth-inning homer. Andris Barroso started the game, lasting three innings with relief from Jacob Burnham and Marlin Takovich. The Conchs gave up nine hits, including four home runs, in the loss.
On April 22, Key West rebounded against another highly-ranked 7A team in the South Dade Buccaneers. The Conchs won 4-2, with Felix Ong on the mound for six innings, striking out five. Burnham threw one inning of relief. Haggard had a single and a double, leading the hitting for Key West. Williams, Jose Perdigon and Sam Holland each added one hit to make five hits in the win. The 16-5 Conchs play the Stingarees of Miami HIgh School on Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29 to close out their regular season.
