Gibbons Walks Off Key West In Unforgettable Playoff Battle

Box Score

If you’re a high school baseball enthusiast, Saturday’s Class 4A regional semifinal at Cardinal Gibbons was just the game for you. Gibbons hosted the Key West Conchs in a back-and-forth battle that left it all on the field, as the Chiefs rallied in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with an 8-7 victory.

On the brink of doom in the top of the seventh, Key West erupted for five runs to grab a 7-6 lead and turn the tides of momentum. But Gibbons put three straight batters on to start the bottom of the seventh, and freshman Nick Ragusa eventually scored on a wild pitch to walk it off. It seemed almost criminal for the game to end in such fashion after the high caliber that it was played, but sometimes you make your own luck with the effort you give.

“Our kids didn’t quit,” Gibbons Manager Jason Hamilton said. “We had four freshmen on the field today, and that’s just what we’ve done all year long. We’ve never been out of games, and we came back. We were able to score to in the seventh and win a very, very great high school baseball game. We thought we had a pretty good game plan against Key West, but all of our scouting reports were way off. That team we played today from Key West really came to play, and they played hard. They put the ball in play, and they hit the ball hard.”

Hamilton claims he witnessed one of the best games he has ever coached in or played in over is entire career. The lead changed hands six times, as both teams kept slugging away to stay in the battle. Most of the players on the field elevated their game to deliver the greatest performance of their high school career.

“Today belonged to Eddie Marshall,” Hamilton said. “He was 3-for-3 with a double and a home run that went off the right-center field buildings at Cardinal Gibbons. He really gave us a lift. He’s been our leader all year, and it just seemed like he wasn’t going to let us lose today.”

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