Lady Stangs finish 2010 season with playoff loss
MARBLE FALLS — Needing a win in game two of its best-of-three series to extend its season, the Marble Falls High School softball team took to the field Saturday against Dripping Springs with determination.
It was not to be.
Needing a victory to close out the series, the Lady Tigers got a run in the first inning and survived the Lady Mustangs’ (4-6 in District 25-4A) best chance at scoring in the first inning.
The result was an 11-0 victory in five innings for Dripping Springs, allowing the Lady Tigers to advance to the area round of the playoffs against Seguin.
“They’re better than us,” Marble Falls head coach David Orsag said. “We got beat by a better ball club. I told the girls that. They hit the ball well.”
Lady Tigers head coach Keith Tuck called the win a complete team effort.
“I’m proud of the leadership of our seniors,” he said. “We played really well in all three phases of the game. We pitched well, played good defense and had timely hitting.”
Dripping Springs moves on to the second round, a staple for the Lady Tigers, who reached the regional semifinals a year ago.
The Lady Tigers broke the game open in the fourth inning when Tina Cisneros hit a two-run home run over the center field wall 200 feet away.
“Like last night, the umpire calls a pitch outside, you throw it down the pike, they hit it out of the park,” Orsag said.
By the end, Dripping Springs led, 4-0.
The last seven runs were scored in the fifth inning.
The Lady Mustangs recorded no more than two errors in the contest. That means that Dripping Springs simply kept hitting to open spots for base hits.
Marble Falls had a chance in the second inning. Freshman Abby Henry hit a single to left-center field. Freshman Alicia Macias hit a single to center right field. Junior Mattie Counts drew a walk. But the inning ended on a flyout to center field.
After the game, Orsag looked around the field and reflected on the way the season ended. He had hoped to win game two and play a third winner-take-all contest for the right to face Seguin.
“I would have preferred not to end with a run-rule,” he said. “Now I hope (Dripping Springs) wins state. I don’t think there’s ever a good loss. A bunch of schools didn’t play this week.”