Mustangs use their fundamentals in big win over Alice

KERRVILLE — The Marble Falls High School baseball team went 1-3 at the Kerrville Tivy Tournament over the weekend.

“This tournament was like our tournament in that we played some very good programs from the San Antonio area,” head coach David Norwood said.

The Mustangs’ (3-8) lone win was against Alice, 11-1.

Sophomore pitcher Derek Steffek (1-1) earned the win and recorded only one walk in the contest.

“There’s a little bit of a lesson to be learned,” Norwood said. “If you throw the ball to them at the plate, you have a chance. We played one of our better games of the season.”

Marble Falls began the tournament with a 9-1 loss to San Antonio Madison.

“We absolutely could not throw a strike,” Norwood said.

Fourteen Madison batters were walked, while two others took bases after being hit by pitches.

The next day, the Mustangs lost to Dripping Springs, 9-7.

The Tigers had a lead until Marble Falls made a comeback.

With two outs and bases loaded in the final inning, the Mustangs had a chance to at least tie the game. But the Tigers eliminated any chance of a comeback.

Dripping Springs took advantage of nine walks in the contest.

“We always compete well against those guys,” Norwood said. “We had a chance with the swing of the bat.”

Marble Falls ended the tournament with a 7-3 loss to San Antonio Johnson.

“We made a few mistakes,” the Mustangs skipper said. “We gave up a run in the fifth, sixth and seventh.

“We played pretty decent baseball,” he added. “We struggled at the plate.”

He called it a Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde effect, meaning when the Mustangs’ approach at the plate is mechanically correct, according to how their coaches have taught them, they can put the ball in play and get on base. But when the players separate their hands, chase bad pitches and become overaggressive, they struggle, Norwood said.

“Our philosophy is to hit the ball middle and away,” he said.

The Mustangs also struggled defensively, the coach said, meaning they did not make enough routine plays. After the Marble Falls Classic last week, coaches believed the pitching staff had made strides.

But during the weekend, the pitching staff was exposed when it was unable to throw strikes consistently.

“Our pitching staff was our strength early in the season,” Norwood said. “We had a hard time throwing the ball over the plate.”

Marble Falls played four games in three days, and fatigue may have set in, the coach said.

The Mustangs will host Killeen Ellison 7 p.m. tonight at Scearce Baseball Field, 2101 Mustang Drive.

Because they used every pitcher on the squad, Norwood said the Mustangs will use multiple players.

He said he is looking for consistency.

“The game isn’t complicated,” he said.

The Junior Varsity gold team went 1-2 in the Marble Falls Classic during the weekend thanks to beating Burnet but losing to Fredericksburg and Dripping Springs. The purple squad went 2-1 with a loss to Burnet but wins against Kerrville Tivy, 7-3, and Canyon Lake, 2-1.

“They’re playing good baseball,” coach Jeremy Locke said.