Marble Falls baseball beats Lampasas
CAPTION: Freshman Landon White delivers big at the plate, helping the Mustangs generate four runs to start the game against the Badgers. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School baseball team defeated Lampasas 7-5 April 7 in District 24-4A play.
The Mustangs (16-5, 4-3) got going when junior lead-off batter John Alan Whittle reached first on a dropped third strike. Junior Grant Carter singled to left field, senior catcher Canon Cochran drew a walk, and sophomore third baseman Crawford Mattox hit a 2 RBI single to right-center field. Though senior Atreyu Machacek grounded out, he moved runners over to scoring position.
Then Cochran and Mattox went home on a 2 RBI double up the left field line by freshman Landon White.
“That was a big first inning,” head coach Tyler Porter said. “So great job by our one through six (batters) right there. We had some good at-bats.”
He explained the significance of scoring like that and quickly, which paved the way for what happened next.
“We’re not unique but anytime you’re able to put runs in the first inning, let alone a crooked number like a three or a four, that sets the tone,” the coach said. “That’s hard for the team that’s down to bounce right back from that.”
After the Badgers (16-6-4, 8-1) got on the board in the third inning, the Mustangs added an unearned run in their half of the same inning then two more in the fourth for a 7-1 advantage.
Lampasas scored three in the sixth inning where the Badgers took advantage of some Marble Falls errors – a dropped pop-up in the infield followed by a hit up the left field line for a double and an error in the outfield.
“Which doesn’t typically happen with us,” Porter said of the miscues. “They pieced together a few hits. They had a really well hit ball for a play we typically make. We just didn’t make that play. They started swinging a little bit, and we didn’t play the defense that we’re accustomed to playing, so that all kind of snowballed, and they scored three.”
Junior pitcher Whittle (7-1, 3-1) allowed four runs, one earned, off four hits and no walks while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.
Sophomore reliever Anderson Liscum took over and struck out the first batter he faced. In the final inning, a Badger reached first base and Mattox closed it out by getting Lampasas to hit into a ground out and strikeout.
“Liscum came in and got us out of that inning, so great job by him to get us back to the dugout,” the coach said. “I thought if we brought Crawford in at the right spot, then it was going to be fine. Once we put up seven (runs), we felt pretty good.”
The second game against Lampasas has been moved to Thursday, April 9, in a varsity only contest at 6 p.m. Marble Falls will play at Taylor (3-16, 1-6) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 14.
CAPTION: Sophomore Anderson Liscum took over at pitcher in the sixth inning and stopped the Badgers from scoring any more runs. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
