Lady Stangs end streak to share district lead
LAKE TRAVIS — The Marble Falls High School softball team made its last district appearance on the Lake Travis Lady Cavaliers Field truly memorable March 27.
Lake Travis is moving up to Class 5A next year and both teams were battling for first place in District 25-4A.
Marble Falls High School softball coach Tino Salazar (center) celebrates his 100th victory as a head coach in a public school with his Lady Mustangs March 27. Marble Falls defeated Lake Travis 6-4 moments earlier to finish the first round of the District 25-4A race tied with the Lady Cavs for first place at 5-1. Courtesy photo
Though both squads fought to the bitter end, only the Lady Cavs stayed bitter as Marble Falls (14-6, 5-1) prevailed 6-4 to finish the first round tied with Lake Travis for first place.
“It’s huge,” senior center fielder Taylor Koska said. “This is what we’ve been dreaming of for years.”
The win also marked head coach Tino Salazar’s 100th career victory as a head coach in public schools.
“I’m grateful, I’m thankful,” he said. “But it’s not my focus. It’s to win games and get the girls ready for what lies ahead.”
With the win, Marble Falls ended a three-game losing skid while playing at Lake Travis that began in 2009 when the Lady Mustangs lost to eventual Class 4A state champion New Braunfels Canyon.
Marble Falls had struggled against the Lady Cavs on their home turf, but not March 27 as the Lady Mustangs rolled to a 5-0 lead by the fifth inning.
But that changed, and sophomore pitcher Amanda Thomas (8-2) was nursing a two-run lead headed into the bottom of the seventh.
With a runner on first, sophomore Tyler Oppenheim made a diving catch, falling to her right for the out and kept the runner on first. But a walk and a ball that hit the leg of the pitcher loaded the bases.
That’s when Salazar called a timeout.
“Stay in it,” Koska recalled her coaching saying. “We got this, we can do this.”
So with two outs, the batter hit the ball to Oppenheim, who found junior third baseman Hailey Wooten for the final out and the victory.
One word describes the mindset of this Lady Mustangs squad, Salazar said.
“Together,” he said. “Really it comes down to them playing together and spending time together. No one puts anyone out there. That’s a team victory.”
Marble Falls will welcome Leander Vandegrift 7 p.m. March 30 to Scearce Field, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls.