Marble Falls softball beats McNeil
CAPTION: First baseman Cheyenne Blair was solid on defense and contributed to the offensive output in the Lady Mustangs’ season-opening win. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School softball team crushed Austin McNeil 11-1 in five innings Feb. 11 in the Lady Mustangs’ season opener.
Marble Falls scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. But the Mavericks were trying to make a comeback.
With a runner at first base, a ball was hit to deep left field. Left fielder Riley Frisch got to it and threw to shortstop Jocelyn Suarez, who turned and immediately threw home. Catcher Callie Phillips caught the ball and tagged the runner out before she could touch the plate.
That play set a tone for the rest of the contest.
“Riley did a good job of recovery,” head coach Alex Lozoya said. “Jocelyn threw a ball that was easy for Callie. I told the kids that when you can hit and defend, you give yourselves a chance. They made big-time plays in big-time situations.”
Defensively, pitcher Brooklyn Damico (1-0), allowed only one earned run and struck out four.
“She let her defense play defense,” Lozoya said. “Brooklyn handled it well and Callie looked good.”
The Lady Mustangs (1-0) recorded 15 hits during the contest.
Leading the offensive punch were Sophia Biagini, Kylie Roberts and Cheyenne Thompson, who each had 2 RBI. Cheyenne Blair, Mackenzie Grider and Phillips each had 1.
“The kids were putting some power on the ball,” the coach said. “Sophia had two clutch hits that scored two. It was nothing fancy; she just put the ball in play. Cheyenne had two hits with two outs, too.”
Second baseman Roberts joined the team Feb. 5 after her commitment to basketball ended.
“Kylie looked great,” Lozoya said. “She and Jocelyn looked comfortable. (Roberts) looked like she’d been swinging it.”
To put the win in perspective, consider this.
Last season, McNeil beat Marble Falls 13-3 in five innings. The Lady Mustangs hadn’t won their season opener since a 12-2 victory against Fischer Canyon Lake in 2021.
“It was a solid win,” Lozoya said. “It’s the first time we’ve won a season opener in awhile. The last couple of years, we’ve had four to six losses before we got a win. We have a winning record. I told the kids, ‘You’re 1-0. You get a chance to defend it.'”
That starts at the Kerrville Tournament Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 13-15.
Marble Falls faces Bandera at 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Ingram Tom Moore at 12:30 p.m. and Leakey at 4 p.m. on Friday, and Johnson City at 2:15 p.m. and Comfort at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“We want to keep it going,” the coach said.
