Marble Falls baseball earns first district win, softball falls to Dripping Springs

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School baseball team earned its first District 25-4A victory of the season thanks to timely hits and an outstanding pitching performance from senior Hunter Dooley.The Mustangs (5-7-3, 1-3) defeated Leander Rouse 5-1, bouncing back from a 10-9 loss three nights earlier where they blew a two-run lead in the bottom of the last inning.

“All I wanted was our kids to come out and play like they had something to prove,” head coach J.T. Blair said.

In the process, Dooley recorded nine strikeouts and gave up only one walk in seven innings.

“That’s the best pitching game we’ve had all year,” Blair said. “(Only one) free base – that’s the key, that’s what made it even better. I tell our pitchers to control the count. If you control the count, you control the at-bat. If you control the at-bat, you control the inning.”

Dooley said he felt like he was in his groove from the start.

“We were pumped and ready to get a district win,” he said.

Marble Falls scored a run in the first inning thanks to an RBI single from senior Carson Bowen. Then junior David Spurlock added to it in the second inning. He went to second base on a passed ball. When it looked like the Raiders were going to get him in a rundown between second and third, the ball was thrown too low to third base and squirted away. Spurlock jumped to his feet and slid home for the run.

After Rouse trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the sixth, Marble Falls answered with three runs in its half of the inning. Bowen hit a two RBI single, while Dooley helped his own cause with an RBI on a fielder’s choice.

“That was huge,” the pitcher said. “I didn’t know if we were able to hold on to a one-run lead. That was a big-time inning.”

The one stat that stood out for the Mustangs was stranding 11 runners during the contest. They left the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings and two runners in the sixth.

“It seemed like we couldn’t get the key hit early,” the coach said. “I know we weren’t executing. But we did a great job all night at the plate.”

As he reflected on the contest, Blair noted each player contributed either by making plays on defense or by getting on base and coming through at the plate when it was needed most.

“We played defense, everyone made a play,” Blair said. “That was a tough one the other night, it was tough to lose. But give our kids credit. We were not going to lose (March 21).”

“We were confident,” Dooley said. “We knew we had to get a win. With that win, we’re hoping to get on a roll.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com

ON OFFENSE: RBI – Carson Bowen 3, Hunter Dooley
ON DEFENSE: Winning pitcher – Hunter Dooley: one earned run off four hits, one walk and nine strikeouts in 7 innings
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 5-7-3, 1-3 in District 25-4A
UP NEXT: 7 p.m. March 25, Marble Falls vs. Leander Vandegrift at Scearce Baseball Field, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls

DISTRICT 25-4A STANDINGS:
Dripping Springs 5-1 (beat Vista Ridge 7-0 on March 21)
Cedar Park 4-0
Leander 4-2 (beat Vandegrift 6-3 on March 21)
Vista Ridge 2-2
Vandegrift 1-5
Rouse 1-5
Marble Falls 1-3

Dripping Springs 12, Marble Falls 2

MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School softball team ended the first round of District 25-4A play with a 12-2 loss to Dripping Springs on March 21.

The game ended after the fifth inning.

The Lady Tigers (5-1) scored all the runs they needed in the first inning by putting up seven runs with 12 batters going to the plate. After a strikeout, they scored on a wild pitch and a two-run single. Marble Falls put four batters on base thanks to walks.

Sophomore Makenzie Carpenter hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Lady Mustangs’ only runs.

ON OFFENSE: Home run – Makenzie Carpenter; RBI – Carpenter 2
ON DEFENSE: Losing pitcher – Carpenter: nine earned runs off four hits with six walks and one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. Amanda Thomas – three earned runs off four hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 15-8 overall, 4-2 in District 25-4A; Dripping Springs is 5-1 in district
UP NEXT: 7 p.m. March 25, Marble Falls vs. Leander at Scearce Softball Field, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls

DISTRICT 25-4A STANDINGS:
Leander 5-1
Dripping Springs 5-1 (def. Marble Falls 12-2 on March 21)
Marble Falls 4-2
Vista Ridge 3-3
Rouse 2-4
Cedar Park 1-5
Vandegrift 1-5 (def. Rouse 11-9 on March 21)