Lady Conchs fastpitch started their season off with a 6-1 win against the Academy for Innovative Education on Feb. 25. Juniors Scarlet Niles and Alexandra Rodriguez had a pair of hits apiece to lead the hitting for Key West. Madelyn Perusse, Miesha Hernandez, Skye Sterling and Alexa Condella each added a hit to their season stats. Nevaeh Arnold earned the win for the Conchs on the mound, striking out 5 in 7 innings of pitching.
Coral Shores fans had a lot to be excited about after their home opener against Somerset South Homestead on Feb. 24. Senior Kailee Reinoso made the switch from shortstop to pitcher this season and made the most of her debut in the circle. Reinoso faced just 12 batters in the mercy-rule win, striking out 5.
Offensively, Reinoso went 3-3 at the plate. Also perfect at bat were freshman Ivy Tiedemann and sophomore Abby Vogt, who both went 2-2. Alondra Apolinaro, Mackenzie Baker, Chloe Stanley and Melissa Perez also registered hits and in addition to solid baserunning, the ’Canes were good for 17 runs in the win. Defensively, sophomore Sofia Sgroi helped seal the win with an incredible play from right field, throwing out a runner on first.
Head coach Lesa Bonee was pleased with her team’s first game, especially under their unique circumstances this season.
“Seven out of our nine starters are playing new positions and three of our starting nine have never played fastpitch softball,” she explained. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am excited to see how we develop.”
Marathon lost its season opener to Lourdes Academy on the road on Feb. 23. The Bobcats outscored the Fins 11-8 despite solid hitting from the Dolphins. Elena Eubank had 3 hits, including a triple to lead the scoring effort. Sage Brown, Maeve Merryman, Sara Robinson and Madelyn Thornton each had 2 hits and Dani Perdomo had 1. Senior Allison Garcia struck out 8 batters over 6 innings in the loss.
