Marble Falls softball squad wins pool at tourney with lopsided victories
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
KERRVILLE — It wasn’t so much that the Marble Falls High School softball team won pool A on Feb. 21, it was the way the Lady Mustangs accomplished it.
They beat Marshall 20-0 in the last game of the day after holding off Medina Valley 7-5 and opening the tournament with a 16-0 thumping of Bandera.
Marble Falls head coach Tino Salazar said he was most pleased with the way the Lady Mustangs handled adversity in the win against Medina Valley.
Freshman pitcher Makenzie Carpenter got the start, and Marble Falls took a 7-1 lead. But in the sixth inning, Medina Valley scored four runs when the Marble Falls defense wasn’t as sharp.
By the end of the contest, Carpenter had thrown more than 130 pitches.
“She was a little flat,” Salazar said. “They were hard to get out. It was good for her to see how she handled being hit.
“The defense didn’t play well,” he added. “We have to get used to her not shutting everyone down and being in the ballgame.”
Considering the Marble Falls infield all have at least one year of experience playing on the varsity level, Salazar said he was surprised by the errors.
“It’s last year’s defense,” he said. “I expected a lot better than that.”
Against Marshall, junior pitcher Amanda Thomas earned the victory in a game that ended after four innings.
Against Bandera, Marble Falls recorded four home runs in the victory, including a walk off three-run homer from junior Amanda Thomas to end the game. It was the second time Thomas hit a home run in back-to-back games.
“It’s fun to be a part of,” Salazar said. “We jumped out in a lead and let the girls swing away.”
The contest ended after five innings.
Freshman pitcher Makenzie Carpenter was credited with the win.
“This might have been one of her sharper games as far as location and hitting her spots,” Salazar said.
AGAINST MARSHALL: Defense – Junior pitcher Amanda Thomas (1-1) no-hitter, 6 strikeouts and no walks; offense – Thomas 2-run homer; Skyler Riley 3 RBIs
AGAINST MEDINA VALLEY: Defense – Freshman pitcher Makenzie Carpenter 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts; offense – Abby Henry, Catie Whitecotton, Naomi Macias and Zoey Schoch all went 2-for-2 at the plate
AGAINST BANDERA: Defense – Pitcher Carpenter (7-0); offense – Makenzie Carpenter 2 home runs totaling 3 RBIs, Hayley Fishbeck and Amanda Thomas 1 home run with 3 RBIs
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 8-1.
UP NEXT: Marble Falls at Kerrville Tivy tournament at Tivy High School, 3250 Texas 534 Loop in Kerrville, 11 a.m. Feb. 23
jfierro@thepicayune.com