Rios Tosses One-Hitter, Columbus Rolls Past Key West

Matt Rios threw a one-hit shutout and the Miami-Dade #8 Columbus Explorers provided plenty of offense in a 10-0 win over Key West on Wednesday.

In a game shortened to five innings by the run-rule, Rios went the distance, striking out five while walking just one. He faced just two batters over the minimum in a 74-pitch effort that included 47 strikes.

The Explorers provided Rios with a four-run first-inning cushion and piled on with four more runs in the fourth.

Columbus DH Luca Carilles got the party started with a three-run double in the first inning, scoring Zahir Barjam, Franklin Francisco and Jose Correa. It would prove to be all the firepower Rios needed to subdue the visiting Conchs.

Rafael Diaz delivered a two-run double to cap a four-run fourth for Columbus, which also got RBIs in the inning from Francisco and Barjam.

Maximus Alvarez homered for the Explorers, who improved to 10-4 for the season (8-0 at home). Columbus hosts South Dade at 6 p.m. Friday.

Key West lead-off hitter Nelson Ong had the lone hit for the Conchs, which slipped to 7-8 for the season. They will host the Sarasota Sailors at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Key West High School baseball today was very flat,” said Conchs manager Ralph Henriquez. “Could not get on track. Columbus swung the bats very well. Just a very flat day for the Conchs. We did not play well.”

The Conchs were coming off a road trip to California in which they earned a couple of victories but might have been suffering a bit of jet lag.

“This young team might have been run down a little bit,” Henriquez said. “We did not play up to our capabilities.”

But the road doesn’t get any easier for Key West.

“We have a tough week coming up next week,” Henriquez said. “We have two games this week with Sarasota and then next week we go to Cary, North Carolina and we’ll be very challenged there.

“But we look forward to the challenge and keep improving and getting ready for the playoffs, which is what our focus is for the month of April.”

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