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CONCH BASEBALL’S EPIC RUN ENDS IN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Key West downs Somerset, falls to Miami Sunset
Key West baseball took care of business on May 9, defeating Somerset Pembroke Pines in the 4A regional quarterfinal game, 8-5. Andris Barroso got the start for the Conchs, striking out five over five innings to earn his ninth win of the season. Jacob Burnham offered an inning of relief and Felix Ong shut down the final inning, striking out three of four batters faced.
The Conchs racked up 10 hits against the Panthers. Noah Burnham was 2-3 on the night with a double and an RBI. Michael Greenberg had a pair of triples and an RBI. Jose Perdigon drove in two runs off two hits and Wyatt Kuhn, Sam Holland, Caden Pichardo and Anden Rady each had a hit for Key West.
The win advanced the Conchs to the regional semifinal game held on May 12 at Rex Weech Field against the Golden Hawks of Miami Springs High School. One year ago, Key West was in a nearly identical situation in which the Hawks upset the Conchs, effectively ending their season. It would be Miami Springs who got knocked out of the hunt for a state championship this year, as the Conchs made the most of their unusually low four hits.
Miami Springs struck first in inning three, scoring one run, but waking up the Key West bats in the process. Wyatt Kuhn took a base and a record when he was hit by a pitch. Kuhn, struck twice in the game by Golden Hawks pitchers, now holds the school record with 14 this season, and with Anden Rady also being struck in the game, the Conchs broke their team’s single-season record for struck batters with 50.
With Kuhn on base, Jack Haggard walked, then Anden Rady reached base on an error, loading the bases and setting the stage for junior Anthony Lariz. With two outs and two strikes against him, Lariz homered on a line drive to center field, giving the Conchs the go-ahead run for the duration of the game. Later in the game, Haggard tripled to drive in a run, Michael Greenberg cranked out a double, and Gabe Williams had a base hit.
Miami Springs registered four hits of their own, but couldn’t string together enough offense to make up for Lariz’s grand slam. Defensively, Key West was perfect, committing zero errors in the win. Felix Ong got the start and the win, lasting five innings on the mound before Jacob Burnham finished the final two innings.
The 7-2 win placed the Conchs in the regional championship game on May 16 against Miami Sunset. Key West’s magic finally ran out against the Knights, falling 2-1 in a low-scoring affair and bringing the team’s season to a close with a 22-6 record. With results available shortly before press time, stay tuned to the May 25 edition of the Keys Weekly for full coverage.
