Marble Falls baseball wins Game 1 against Rouse with good pitching
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School baseball team’s series-opening 4-3 win against Leander Rouse on March 20 illustrated a trait of the Mustangs that pleases head coach J.T. Blair.
“Another good one-run win,” he said with a grin. “We’re proving over and over that we’re tough mentally.”
Even a 45-minute lightning delay could not stop the Mustangs from winning their third consecutive District 25-4A game, though there was a thought the game would have to be completed the next day because of the bad weather.
“I really thought it was important we finished the game (that night),” Blair said, “because we already had (senior pitcher) Cole (Ridgely) up and running. I wanted to have him finish the game.”
And pitching proved to a big key to the win.
The Mustangs had a 4-1 lead when players left the field in the fourth inning because of lightning. After play resumed, Rouse scored two runs in the fifth inning off back-to-back hits. With the game-tying run on third and two outs, Ridgely struck out the batter.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Raiders led off with a walk, but coaches told the second batter to bunt. The Mustangs fielded the bunt and threw the runner out at first. Then first baseman Hunter Dooley threw the ball to catcher Joey Blackledge, who was waiting for the runner from first base all way to third. It wasn’t even close as Blackledge tagged out the runner for the double-play. The inning ended with another Ridgely strikeout.
After a groundout to start the seventh inning for Rouse, the second batter singled to left field. But Ridgely struck out the last two batters to end the game.
“He’s proven over and over in those situations, he gets tougher,” Blair said. “When other pitchers get tired, he gets tougher.”
The coach also credited the defense, particularly the outfield for handling the strong winds.
“The guys made good plays in the outfield,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
[tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”GAME STATS”]
ON OFFENSE: Marble Falls – RBIs: Joey Blackledge 1, Domenic Patterson 1; hits: Carson Bowen 1, Mike Richardson 1, Blackledge 1, Patterson 1; runs scored: Blackledge 1, Stacy Heinatz 1, Saul Guzman 1, Richardson 1. Rouse – RBIs: Tyler Slaughter 1, Kyle Jacobs 1; hits: Taylor Ward 2, Luis Bonilla 1, Kyle Jacobs 1, Slaughter 1, Robert Martinez 1; runs scored: Wesley Geisler 1, Jacobs 1, Bonilla 1
ON DEFENSE: Winning pitcher – Cole Ridgely (3-1-1) 2 earned runs off 6 hits with 4 walks, 9 strikeouts; forced the Raiders to strand 7 runners. Losing pitcher – Tim Frances 2 earned runs off 4 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts; forced the Mustangs to strand 5 runners.
NOTABLE: Of the seven innings Ridgely pitched in, he ended five of them with strikeouts.
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 11-3 overall and 3-1 in District 25-4A; Rouse is 7-10-1 overall and 1-6 in district play.
UP NEXT: Game 2 — Marble Falls at Leander Rouse, 1501 CR 271 in Leander, 7 p.m. March 22; Game 3 — Marble Falls vs. Leander Rouse, 2 p.m. March 23
[/tab] [tab title=”DISTRICT STANDINGS”]
Dripping Springs, 7-0
Leander, 5-2
Marble Falls, 3-1
Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 2-2
Cedar Park, 2-4
Leander Vandegrift, 1-6
Leander Rouse, 1-6
[/tab] [/tabs]