Marble Falls softball loses to Copperas Cove
CAPTION: Freshman Matti King is one of several newcomers who are learning quickly. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School softball team lost to Copperas Cove 14-3 in five innings Feb. 24.
The Lady Dawgs (10-3) took a 3-1 lead in the first inning and added two in the second and six in the top of the third inning for an 11-1 advantage.
The Lady Mustangs scored another run in the third inning and one in the fourth.
While fans will see 14 Cove runs, Marble Falls head coach Alex Lozoya witnessed a solid defensive effort from the Lady Dawgs.
“That was a defensive clinic,” he said. “The left field (side) made good plays, the center fielder had a good outing. That left side with the center fielder put on a defensive clinic. And I can see why they’re having the year they’re having.”
He felt that way because the Lady Mustangs got runners on base and had the bases loaded but couldn’t get more than a run. And that’s because Cove forced Marble Falls to hit into routine outs – flyballs, pop-ups and ground balls that allowed defenders to step into their throws with accuracy for outs. At times, the Lady Mustangs had more than one runner on base, giving the infielders choices on where to go with the ball. And more times than not, the Lady Dawgs got the outs.
“The 50-50 balls – they made them go their way,” Lozoya said. “They made plays and made sure they got the outs. They put on a defensive clinic.”
As for his players, the coach noted they must take the next step because of the time of year — Marble Falls begins District 24-4A play with a road trip to Taylor Tuesday, March 3.
“Pitching has to find a way to be more consistent and let us get a chance to get into rhythm defensively and see if we can make some plays,” he said.
Cove drew no more than six walks with one out or less and Marble Falls committed four errors with one out.
“And they all scored,” the coach said. “That’s the part that needs to get cleaned up to give ourselves a chance to compete. When district starts, you have to go in and assume everybody is a good team until you see the scoreboard at the end of the game.”
As for the offense, Lozoya said he’s not discouraged. He saw hard and well hit balls the Lady Dawgs got to for outs.
He could only recall one Cove error and added he doesn’t want anyone to feel frustration. Rather, appreciate the defensive effort by a team that refused to have a defensive breakdown and played a solid contest.
“I’m not disappointed, because we got them on,” he said “We did what we could with them playing defense to get them in. We got on with a couple of errors. They just made plays.”
The Lady Mustangs will compete in the Georgetown tournament Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 26-28. They face Leander Gleen at 9 a.m. and Fredericksburg at 11 a.m., both on Thursday, Midland Greenwood at 1 p.m. on Friday and Baytown Goose Creek Memorial at 3 p.m, and Cibolo Steele at 5 p.m. both on Saturday.
CAPTION: Junior shortstop Jocelyn Suarez has been getting the job done on the field and at the plate. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
