Through the first five innings, the Marathon High baseball team was in complete control of the Region 4-Rural semifinal opener against Fort Meade, but a pair of Dolphins errors in the sixth resulted in a trio of runs coming home for the Miners, which then shut down the ‘Fins the rest of the way for a 4-1 victory on Monday, April 29, on the Middle Keys campus.

Taking a one-run advantage in the second on a sacrifice fly by Leo Mendez, after a walk and Roco Piscetello single, the Dolphins held the lead until the sixth as Mason Thornton allowed two base hits, hit two batters, and struck out six in the first five frames. In the sixth, a walk and error led to the first Fort Meade run, with a second error and single leading to the Miners’ first lead of the game.

jwcooke@keysnews.com