Tested by South Florida rivals, Monroe County baseball squads continued their winning ways last week.
Kade Maltz and Xavier Perez both went 3-for-4 at the plate against Monsignor Pace on Feb. 20, fueling a frenzy of 11 hits to defeat their longstanding rivals with conviction. The Conchs outhit the Spartans 11-4 to help avenge a midseason loss to Pace last year.
Donovan Thiery put in five innings of work, striking out nine, walking two and surrendering just two hits. The Spartans were unable to pencil in a single run against the FSU commit.
The win ended a 17-year drought for Key West against the Spartans. The Conchs last defeated Pace in 2009 in a playoff game at home after losing to them twice in the regular season in a rivalry which has spanned more than half a century.
On Feb. 22, a visiting St. Brendan School held their own against the Conchs until late in the game. Maltz started on the mound and did not surrender a single run, effectively shutting down the St. Brendan School offense.
The bats were sleepy for both sides, however, until the sixth inning, when the Sabres strung together four hits and a pair of walks to take a 4-0 lead over the Conchs. But Key West had a clear answer for St. Brendan. In their half of the sixth, the Conch bats were wide awake, and six hits and some strategic sacrifices helped the Conchs pile on eight runs. Key West held down the fort in the seventh inning to preserve the win. Perez and Thiery each added a pair of hits, including one double apiece. Nelson Ong smacked a pair of singles and Maltz, Kristian Masters and Jackie Niles accounted for the rest. Key West was perfect in the field and the win preserved their perfect 4-0 record.
Marathon traveled to Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 16 to take on the Sharks of NSU University School. The Sharks took an early lead and never let up, ultimately winning 5-1. Roco Piscetello, Dylan Williams and Massimo Quargnali had the only hits against the Sharks, and Gabriele Cirina had an RBI off a fielder’s choice. Cirina and Piscetello shared the pitching duties, putting in three innings of work each.
