Monroe County High School Baseball Teams Hit the Road During Spring Break

While most Monroe County students spent spring break at the beach, the county's high school baseball teams were logging miles and at-bats across Central and South Florida, squeezing five games into five days.

Key West was the busiest Keys team during the break, playing five games in as many days, starting their spring break against Lake Mary on March 17 and 19. The Conchs' bats were quiet in game one, with just one hit, a double from Caden Pichardo, while Kasey Kasper went five innings on the mound, striking out five batters and giving up four hits. Despite a three-run rally in the bottom of the final inning, Key West fell to the Rams 6-4.

Two days later, a dozen walks helped Key West's offensive effort, with Nelson Ong tripling and Sam Holland, Caden Pichardo and Jackie Niles each doubling. Key West's slide continued March 21 against John Carroll Catholic in a heartbreaking 5-3 loss, with the Conchs striking first off a Kade Maltz home run in the third inning. The Conchs effectively shut down the Rams until the sixth inning, when an unlucky series of hits put John Carroll ahead, and more of the same in the final frame gave the Rams the win, holding Key West to just four hits.

March 22 brought a turnaround, with Key West first beating Tampa's Berkeley Prep 4-2, then rolling to an 8-3 victory over Dade Christian later that same day. Against Berkeley, Holland and Roman Garcia each doubled in a five-hit, error-free performance. Vinnie Moline went the distance against Berkeley, striking out seven over seven innings, while Jon Carlos Lampas-Gormley matched that effort that night, fanning eight with zero walks against Dade Christian. The pair of wins put the Conchs at 11-6 on the season with eight regular-season games to go before playoffs.

Marathon's Fins did their traveling earlier in the break, making a road trip that underscored why the program enters district play as one of the Keys' most dangerous squads. The Fins outscored their opponents 36-4 in three games, winning them all with runs to spare. At Moore Haven, Marathon trounced the Terriers 14-2, piling on 11 hits, three of which came from Jack Chapman, while Reef Rella completed five innings on the mound with 10 strikeouts before the mercy rule was invoked. The following night, the Miners of Fort Meade endured an 8-1 defeat as Marathon stacked up eight hits, including two each from Chapman, Jason Stubblefield and Gabriele Cirina, with Dylan Williams striking out nine over six innings. Game three ended in a 14-1 romp over Glades Day, with Cirina and Chapman combining for four of the team's eight hits, giving Chapman seven across the three-game sweep.

The trip was particularly noteworthy for Cirina's individual performance. His run production during the trip stretched his Florida RBI ranking from third to first, and his 18 RBIs moved him to sixth in the entire nation. Catcher Massimo Quargnali, who has played perfect defense all season, sits in a multi-player tie for first place in Florida rankings with 82 putouts and an assist out of 83 total chances, placing him second nationally.

If their trip is any indication, the Dolphins are poised to make a repeat run at a district title later this spring.