Mustangs’ stolen bases lead the way to another victory
The Marble Falls High School baseball team defeated Llano 10-3 April 23 in a non-district contest.
“It was another defensive game,” Mustangs head coach Tyler Porter said. “It’s hard to play bad baseball when you play good defense. Our pitchers threw strikes and our defense backed them up.”
Senior pitcher Jake Becker picked up the win. In five innings, he gave up three earned runs off five hits, walked four, hit one with a pitch, and struck out four. Kyle Curtis was the reliever and gave up three hits, one walk, one hit by a pitch, and struck out one.
The Mustangs (8-13, 3-9 District 25-5A) scored a run in the first inning after Jake Carter reached first base on an error. Jon “Gouda” Zamarippa brought him home on a sacrifice flyball after Carter stole second and third.
Marble Falls broke the game open in the third inning with 5 runs. Jett Zurita reached first on an error and Carter followed after he was hit by a pitch. Isaias Roman hit a 2 RBI double to left center field. Zamarippa hit a single then Cale Cochran hit a 2 RBI single. Becker hit a sacrifice flyball to bring Cochran home for a 6-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets (10-11) scored a run in the fourth. Carson Kuykendall was hit by a pitch, and Bode Gann brought him home on a grounder.
In the bottom of the same inning, Carter reached first on a single, stole second and third, and scored on a pass ball for a 7-1 lead.
Llano scored two runs in the fifth. Miguel Hernandez and Jackson Dillard each walked. Hernandez scored on a wild pitch and Dillard scored on a pass ball to trim the deficit to 7-3.
The Mustangs scored three in the sixth inning. Zamarippa reached on a single, while Cochran reached on an error. Becker hit another sacrifice flyball to score Zamarippa. Cochran and Bryce Atkinson also scored.
Pitcher Dillard was credited with the loss. The Mustangs scored one earned run but had several stolen bases that put them in scoring position.
“That’s something we try,” Porter said. “We want to be aggressive. And if they err, they err on the side of being aggressive. You can create havoc.”
Llano traveled to Marble Falls one night after the Yellow Jackets earned a playoff berth thanks to beating Ingram Tom Moore 13-1.
“We have a lot of guys who participate in a lot of activities,” head coach Todd Doucet said. “We’re tough.”
The Jackets finish the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at home against Lago Vista.
The Mustangs travel to Georgetown East View on Tuesday, April 26, and end the season at home against Leander Rouse on Friday, April 29. Both games start at 7 p.m.
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