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Marathon wins big in opener; Key West, Coral Shores stand tall against tough preseason opponents

Key West delivered an upset win to a packed crowd on Feb. 17, beating 6A St. Thomas Aquinas 1-0. The 4A Conchs held the Raiders to just 2 hits over 6 ½ innings, keeping their composure until the moment was right to make their attack.

That moment came in the bottom of the 6th inning, when Wyatt Kuhn made it to first on a bunt. With 1 out and hopes of winning dwindling, Anden Rady hit a sacrifice fly, enabling Kuhn to score the lone run of the game. Southpaw Jacob Burnham went 5 innings, giving way to closer Andris Barroso on the mound.

The following night, Key West got an early lead, scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning and 3 more in the second of their preseason game against Taravella. The Conchs added a run in the 5th inning to make it 7, enough to hold their lead and win the game. The 7A Trojans out of Coral Springs didn’t go down without a fight, scoring 5 runs in the 6th inning, but it was too little too late to beat the Conchs at home. Jack Haggard had a double and a triple while Michael Greenberg doubled and Anthony Lariz singled. The Conchs open their regular season schedule against Westminster on Feb. 24.

Coral Shores faced the same opponents as Key West, battling to a 2-2 tie against Taravella on Feb. 17. Andrew Putetti had 1 hit and a walk in 3 atbats, scoring 1 run, and Dylan Bloom had a hit and an RBI. Campbell Lavoie and Tate Brumbalow shared pitching duties, giving up just 4 hits in 7 innings.

Against St. Thomas the following night, Coral Shores was up 6-1 until a 4th-inning rally from the Raiders was enough to steal the game. The ’Canes scored 4 in the 7th, but it would be shy of what they needed to defeat St. Thomas. The final score was a 9-7 loss for the Hurricanes. Lavoie, Bloom, Hugh Connolly, Ezekiel Myers, Donovan Thiery and Riley O’Berry each had a hit in the preseason match. The ’Canes opened their regular season on Feb. 21 against ABF Homestead.

Marathon waited until it counted to play its first game, facing the Panthers of Everglades Prep on opening day at home. The Fins earned a decisive 12-0 win by slugging 9 runs in the 3rd inning in the mercy-rule victory. Dylan Ziels had 2 hits, a double and a triple, to lead Marathon in batting. Micah Sauders had a pair of singles in 2 at-bats. Dylan Globe, Tommy Norris, Bryan Broche, Gabe Leal, Gavin Leal and Mason Thornton had one hit apiece.

On the mound, Ryan Yablon went 3 innings, striking out nine and giving up just one hit with no runs. Dylan Ziels and Bryan Broche each went one inning to close out the game. Marathon faces Ransom Everglades on Friday, Feb. 24 in a rematch of last year’s SFBC championship game.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald