Burnet softball sweeps Marble Falls
CAPTION: Head coach Ali Tippie (left), junior first baseman Carlee Williams and sophomore catcher Abby Bennight enjoy a laugh during a timeout while senior pitcher Presley Crawford looks on. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Burnet High School softball team beat Marble Falls 8-1 April 11 in District 24-4A play.
The Lady Dawgs seized control from the start thanks to senior pitcher Presley Crawford.
The Sul Ross University signee allowed 1 earned run off 3 hits and a walk and struck out 14.
Crawford made her outing sound like another day in the circle.
“Just spinning the ball over different pitches,” she said. “Movement over speed.”
She noted part of her success goes to having a “short memory” and “trusting my defense.”
Marble Falls (10-15, 2-9) scored a run in the sixth inning.
Head coach Ali Tippie pointed out the Lady Dawgs’ defense and pitching didn’t let up for seven innings, an important factor in the outcome.
“For your pitcher to have a defence that she trusts, that means that she feels more freedom in the circle to pitch the pitches she wants and pitches she thinks will work and she feels more freedom to miss those pitches as well,” she said. “Because she knows her defense is gonna back her and she’s not afraid. There’s a long seven innings in games and we’re further along in the season. Your body gets tired and Presley’s our primary pitcher. She’s pitched every single inning of district and pretty much every inning of pre(-district) and she’s tough, but her body’s gonna wear on her a little bit. And so having that tough defense behind her is really imperative.”
Offensively, Crawford also helped herself by recording the game’s first RBI by beating the throw to first base after a fielding error for a 1-0 lead in the third inning. The run came after two outs.
Burnet extended the lead in the fifth inning to 4-0 on a RBI single by junior shortstop Journey Denton and a 2 RBI single by junior center fielder Halle Maxwell. Again, the runs came after two outs.
The Lady Dawgs scored three in the sixth and one in the seventh to roll to the victory.
Crawford led the offensive charge with 3 hits, while sophomore left fielder Hannah Brooks had 2 followed by junior Carlee Williams, senior second baseman Carolyn Everett, Denton and Maxwell each finished with one. In all, the Lady Dawgs scored 8 runs off 9 hits and drew 4 walks.
“It wasn’t our top performance, but we came in and it’s always a tough environment playing in Marble Falls being long-time rivals,” Tippie said. “They came in and they got the job done.”
She commended her players for approaching the plate the same way, no matter if there were two outs or no outs.
“We try to preach this is the situation and practice like we have two outs,” the coach said. “We’ve got to score to win and stuff like that, but that really just comes from their own hearts. You can try to practice situations like that all day long, but it comes from their own hearts and their own tenacity and drive to win.”
Burnet has two games remaining in the regular season and will face either China Spring or Gatesville in the first round of the playoffs.
But first, the Lady Dawgs welcome Taylor Tuesday, April 15, to Bulldog Diamonds in their final home game of the regular season before going to Lampasas Thursday, April 17. Both games start at 7 p.m.
CAPTION: Burnet sophomore Hannah Brooks slides into second base before Marble Falls freshman shortstop Callie Phillips can tag her out. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
