Conchs win, 8-6, travel to N. Broward Prep Friday, 3 wins short of 12th state championship

 

BY RALPH MORROW

MANAGING EDITOR

A little fly ball into center field threatened to ruin the Key West High baseball season. As the potential game-tying runner took off from second, shortstop Greg Veliz chased down the popup, grabbed it on the fly, then ran in and touched second base for the game-ending double play at Rex Weech Field on Tuesday night.

And now with its third victory of the season over Gulliver Prep, this one by a final score of 8-6, the Conchs move on to Friday’s 7 p.m. Class 4A, Region 4 final at North Broward Prep, just three victories short of their 12th state championship.

Key West, now 26-3-1 on the season, started with Veliz (9-0) on the pitching mound and he gave up a quick two runs in the top of the first inning. With single runs in the first and second, the Conchs tied the score at 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, it appeared as if Coach Ralph Henriquez Jr.’s team had salted away the game with a six-run outburst, but the Raiders kept punching back, with one run in the fourth, then with three in the sixth, when Veliz walked the first two batters on his 111th pitch of the night. Stevie Wells moved in from center field to the pitching mound and, although he had given up but one earned run all season, he was not as perfect this night. He walked a batter to load the bases and a sacrifice fly, a single and a groundout brought in the three runs – one of them against Wells’ record.

In the top of the seventh, Wells walked the leadoff batter, got a strikeout, then gave up an infield single and a sharp single to center field that loaded the bases. That brought up the No. 9 hitter for Gulliver Prep. With Nick Acosta breaking from second, Alex Erro hit the short fly that Veliz turned into the game-winner.

Anthony Henriquez had three hits and two runs batted in on the night for Key West. In the second, he doubled home Hunter Sellers who had walked. In the third inning, Hugo Valdes led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Brandon Presley. Chris Varela singled Valdes to third, from where he scored the tie-breaking run on a wild pitch. After Sellers grounded out, Henriquez singled to right field to score Varela. Jay Feathers walked, Steve Wells was hit by a pitch and Andy Perez drove in two runs with a single to right field. Veliz’s hit brought in Wells and Hugo Valdez’s single sent in Perez for the 8-2 lead that would soon be reduced.

But not far enough for Gulliver (20-8) as the Conchs moved to the Regional championship game for the first time since 2008.

 

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