Mustangs hold on for rivalry win against Burnet
BURNET — The Marble Falls High School baseball team hung on for a 4-2 win against Burnet on March 8.
The Mustangs (8-2) took a 4-0 lead that started with a 360-foot solo home run by junior Domenic Patterson in the fourth inning. The next two runs came in the fifth with another in the seventh.
Marble Falls forced the Bulldogs to leave the bases loaded twice during the game, in the third and seventh innings.
However, Burnet scored two runs in the seventh, and closer Stacy Heinatz struck out the last batter to end the game. Mustang starting pitcher Cole Ridgely threw 6 1/3 innings.
“His performance gave me confidence when I went up to throw,” Heinatz said. “If he can do it, I can do it.”
Ridgely struck out 12 batters, including 8-of-9 starting in the third inning.
“I felt really good going in,” he said. “Nothing bothered me. I was locked in and ready to go.”
Marble Falls head coach J.T. Blair, who is in his first year, said he knew immediately the importance of this contest to both communities.
“This is a big game around these parts,” he said. “It’s a big game. This game means a lot to our seniors. Obviously Cole was the star. He was dominating.”
Burnet head coach Tim Perkins said the game played out the way he thought: very few hits, plenty of routine plays with solid pitching, and a few scoring opportunities.
“We had some (batting) issues in the middle innings,” he said. “We kind of just got in a rut.”
He credited the pitchers in both bullpens for giving up a total of 10 hits.
“No one could hit,” he said. “It’s a tribute to all four of those pitchers.”
Blair also credited his batters, especially Patterson for getting them started. And he wasn’t surprised the Bulldogs continued to fight.
“We fully expected that,” he said. “The people said it’s going to be close game. This game had kind of a playoff feel to it.”
GAME STATS
ON OFFENSE: Marble Falls: HR — Domenic Patterson; RBIs – Stacy Heinatz 1, Jimmy Damico 1, Patterson 1; Hits – Heinatz 2, Cody Goodman 1, Damico 1, Patterson 1.
Burnet: RBIs – Will Kyle 1, Jesse Parker 1; Hits – Colton Rockafellow 1, Taylor Barksdale 1, Zach Evans 1, Jesse Parker 1, Will Kyle 1
ON DEFENSE: Winning pitcher – Cole Ridgely (1-1), 2 earned runs off 3 hits with 12 strikeouts and 4 walks. Losing pitcher – Jay Edmunds, 4 earned runs off 4 hits, 5 walks and 2 strikeouts.
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 8-2
UP NEXT: Marble Falls at Cedar Park, 2150 Cypress Creek Road in Cedar Park, 7 p.m. March 12