The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-03-27
Lastres Fans
IL In Hurting
Hit Victory


The Key w e s t H i g h
School baseball team unlos-
ed a 13-hit barrage last
night to defeat the Coral
Gables nine, Ito in the
Wickers Field Stadium be-
fore an estimated one-thou-
sand paying customers.
The victory avenged a de-
feat pinned on the Conchs
Thursday night by Coral
Gables and enabled local
fans to get a look at the
Conch's crack h u RI er,
George Lastres, at his best.
,Lastres, who threw considerably
harder than was necessary to put
the Cavaliers on ice, showed why
he Is rated Florida's top school
boy prospect when he gave up one
hit and faced but q batters, fam
ming IL of them. Only one batter
reached second base for Coral Ga
bles - Tom Atwood, who walked
and stole q base in the seventh
inning.
Lastres struck out the side in
the first inning after Ron Muzzi,
batting In the number two spot,
poked out a single for the Cava-
lier's only safety of the ballgame.
After that Lastres mixed a sharp
breaking curve and a sizzling fast
ball to set the visitors back on
their heels. About the fifth inning,
1t became apparent that they
would be very happy to have the
ballgame end.
Meanwhile, the Conchs were fat
tening up their batting averages
with their Is hit assault.
They scored a single run in the
second inning when Lastres sing
led and Hal Solomon, currently hot
as = firecracker at the plate, trip
led to score him. =
But the real carnage started in
the third frame when the Key
Westers, defending state champ
ions, picked up six runs on five
hits. Gibby Gates started it with
leadoff single. Don Cruz doubled
to send him in and Eloy Rodri-
guez hit a screaming ground ball
through the box that hurler Lang
er tried to field with his pitching
hand. The result was an injury
that sent him to the showers.
But his relief was like a cousin
to the Conchs - they climbed all
over him.
Salgado walked and Lastres pick
ed up his second lift of the eve
ming to load the bases.
Julio Henriquez then sent
screaming three-run line double in
to left field.
The Cavaliers then engineered a
double play when Santana lined to
second base and Henriquez was
doubled off the bag.
The Conchs came right back in
the fourth frame to pick up three
more runs. Don Cruz single and
stolen second base started it off.
He scored a short time later on
. weird fluke. 1t occurred when
Eloy Rodriguez sent a pop fly up
about q hah-mile in front of the
pitchers mound. The Cavalier in
field could not make up their
minds about who was going to take
it and it dropped in for base hit.
Meanwhile, Cruz streaked for third
base and the throw there to nail
him was wild. Cruz scored.
First baseman Biff Salgado and
pitcher Lastres then hit successive
triples with Lastres scoring on a
passed ball to complete the scor-
ing for the inning.
The Conchs picked up their final
run in the fifth when Cruz singled
and scored on Salgado's second hit
OF the evening, a single.
DON Cruz, with three singles,
Lastres with a triple and single in
three tries and Salgado with a like
mark for the evening, led the
Conch at the plate.
Julio Santana played his usual
polished defensive game at short
stop.
The box score:
VEV NIFE0W aNSN