Marble Falls baseball plays well at Llano tourney

CAPTION: Marble Falls shortstop John Alan Whittle touches second base after fielding a ground ball and completing the double play by throwing to first. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School baseball team went 2-2 at the Llano tournament Feb. 27-March 1.

The Mustangs earned wins against the Texas Military Institute 3-0 and against Bulverde Bracken 4-2 but lost to Fredericksburg 3-2 and to Wimberley 19-5.

Marble Falls had leads in each game, including the losses, for a variety of reasons.

Against TMI, sophomore John Alan Whittle hit a RBI to score Crawford Mattox. Atreyu Machacek scored and Canon Cochran had a hit and scored on an error.

Down 3-0 to Wimberley, the Mustangs went to work in the third inning. They strung together hits or drew walks and were meticulous in moving around the bases. The Mustangs were selective on when to steal, and the Texans didn’t make mistakes that tend to lead to the opponent scoring. There were very few wild pitches, pass balls and field errors. In short, the Mustangs didn’t give pitchers a chance to pick them off at bases and were sure before they left a base.

The game turned, however, because Wimberley strung together their own hits that led to multiple bases on one swing.

Against Fredericksburg, the Mustangs scored 2 runs in the first inning. Then the Billies scored 3 runs in the sixth inning.

“We just didn’t play defense,” head coach Tyler Porter said. “They hit some balls hard, so credit to them.”  

Offensively, the Mustangs are showing an ability to manufacture runs once they’re on base, which will be imperative for this team.

“Every 90 feet and we’re running towards home – that’s big,” Porter said. “The purpose of offense in baseball isn’t to get hits. The purpose is to score runs. So if that’s hitting, great; that’s the easiest way. But walks, hits by pitches – it matters. The hits will come or are coming. All that stuff’s going to happen.”

The Mustangs used multiple pitchers in each contest as coaches are still studying and taking notes on where each arm can best benefit the team. Whittle, Machacek, Anderson Liscum and Brenton Liscum were among the players who were on the bump during the tournament.

Porter noted that pitchers must have the attitude of “here’s my stuff, try and beat me” and see what the hitter can do.

“And if they do that, then tip your head up there,” he said. “It’s ‘hey guys behind me, let’s see what happens.'” 

Against Bracken and TMI, the Mustangs kept their leads, no matter who was on the mound. That shows trust between the pitcher and his teammates in believing no matter where the ball is hit, someone is going to make a play. That belief is important, the coach said, considering the team has several underclassmen as starters.

“Our pitchers did a good job of filling up the zone and they’re kind of getting comfortable,” he said. “Our kids are making routine plays. You better make sure the ball isn’t a hit. You better play pretty sound defense. It’s still some stuff to clean up, but again, it’s young stuff, so I can live with that right now.”  

Marble Falls is at Llano Tuesday, March 4, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.

CAPTION: Marble Falls pitcher Canon Cochran steals second base and helps his own cause against the Texas Military Institute. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro