Veliz Shuts Down Gulliver As Key West Notches Key Win

Key West used the strong arm of a rising standout pitcher and surprising power from an unlikely source to win the latest chapter in the Conchs’ rivalry against district nemesis.

Sophomore Gregory Veliz fired a three-hitter over six innings and senior Andy Perez blasted a grand slam as the visiting Conchs blanked Gulliver Prep, 7-0, in an early season Class 4A-District 16 showdown on Wednesday afternoon.

The victory tasted sweeter than most for Key West (5-1, 2-0 District 4A-16) because it came against a club that knocked the Conchs out of the district playoffs last season and in 2012.

“They knocked us out last year,” Veliz said. “They beat us in a late inning. It was tough. Now we’re on top.”

Veliz, a solidly built 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore, was on top his game as the hard-throwing right-hander snapped a two-game winning streak by Gulliver (3-3, 1-1 District 4A-16). Veliz hit his spots early and often. He was ahead in most counts and allowed just three singles in six strong shutout innings.

“Gregory has been throwing the ball real well for us,” said Key West Manager Ralph Enriquez. “He’s only a sophomore with a real live arm.”

Veliz never encountered trouble thanks to a sharp outing that included no walks, six strikeouts and one hit batsman. He also retired lead-off batters five times. After relying almost exclusively on fastballs, Veliz, who has 28 strikeouts in 16 innings this season, added off-speed pitches to his repertoire in the later innings.

As far as velocity, Veliz was told after the game that someone with a radar gun behind home plate clocked him at 95, which was faster than his previous high (93) that was recorded by Perfect Game in December.

“They couldn’t catch up to my fastball, so I used fastballs,” Veliz said. “They say I hit 95. I was pumping it. Then around the fifth inning, I was around 93 and I started using my breaking ball.”

It was a breaking ball that Perez launched over the fence in left field for a grand slam that gave Key West a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning.

“Huge hit,” Veliz said. “He wasn’t the one on our mind to hit a home run. He pulled one out. Number two hitter. Small, bunts, (has) speed. You don’t look for pop. When he hits one, it’s a pretty cool day.”

Key West, which has outscored opponents 42-9 this season, took a 3-0 lead in the second inning behind a run-scoring double from Steven Wells (2-for-3, 1 RBI) and RBI singles from Perez (2-for-4, 5 RBIs) and shortstop Jay Feathers, who had two hits. Feathers helped keep Gulliver off the scoreboard with a diving catch on a rocket by Brent Diaz that ended the sixth inning.

Gulliver’s hits came from Brian Nido, Joseph Dunand and Nick Acosta. Starter Davis Brown, who pitched a shutout in his last outing, took the loss.

Fresh from 3-0 and 11-1 victories, Gulliver entered the game with momentum, but the Raiders struggled to get runners on base.

“We just came out flat. Plain and simple,” said Gulliver Manager Javier Rodriguez. “(Veliz) threw a good game. He’s a good pitcher. We didn’t swing early in the count like we should have and he got on top of us quick.”

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