Conchs rally past St. Brendan, face Gulliver Tuesday

BY RALPH MORROW

MANAGING EDITOR

Beating Gulliver Prep twice isn’t enough if Key West High’s baseball team wants to continue its run toward a 12th state championship.

The Conchs, who rallied past St. Brendan, 8-4, Thursday night at Rex Weech Field, will have to defeat Gulliver again at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, at The Rex in the Region 4 semifinals after Gulliver, which lost the District 16-4 championship to Key West last week, downed Miami Christian, 2-0, also in a Region 4 quarterfinal Thursday night.

After St. Brendan (10-14-1) batted in the top of the first, the outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Conchs (25-3-1), who trailed, 4-0, and had their ace pitcher Greg Veliz replaced on the mound by Stevie Wells.

Veliz’s first pitch of the game hit the Sabres’ leadoff hitter and it went downhill from there as Veliz gave up a single and walk to load the bases and after a strikeout, walked in a run and hit another batter (his 12th of the season) to drive in another score. An infield single and a throwing error by shortstop Jay Feathers allowed two more runs and after an infield popup and another hit (but no more runs), Coach Ralph Henriquez Jr. had seen enough and brought in Wells who got a strikeout for the third out.

The Conchs quickly got back in the game. Singles by Wells, Veliz and Hugo Valdes got back one run in the bottom of the inning. Then, in the second, Key West scored five times to take command of the game. Three straight walks to open the inning were followed by a single by Andy Perez that drove in two, a single by Veliz brought in another and when Valdes’ ground ball went under the second baseman’s glove into centerfield, the Conchs had the lead. Veliz scored the fifth run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Presley.

That was really enough as Wells pitched the rest of the game, giving up but one hit that was quickly erased on a double play in the fifth and a pair of harmless, two out walks. Wells (7-0) struck out nine.

Key West added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on hits by Perez, Valdes and Chris Varela along with a balk by the St. Brendan pitcher.

 

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