Marble Falls baseball sweeps Jarrell
CAPTION: Senior Brenton Liscum was impressive in the final regular season home game, leading the Mustangs to a solid win against Jarrell. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School baseball team defeated Jarrell 9-4 April 25 to finish third in the District 24-4A standings.
“It’s a more positive feeling for us,” head coach Tyler Porter said. “We won the way we should.”
The Mustangs got the start they wanted thanks to senior pitcher Brenton Liscum, who retired the first 3 batters in order to begin the game. Soon after, a light rain started to fall followed by lightning. As a result, the game had a 90-minute delay.
But the Mustangs didn’t allow that to sideline them. They scored three runs in the bottom of the first.
The Cougars scored a run in the third inning only to see Marble Fals add four in its half of the inning for a 7-1 advantage. Freshman Crawford Mattox hit a double down the left-field line, junior Atreyu Machacek hit a single to center field, and freshmen Anderson Liscum and Braxton Dicken were awarded bases after being hit by pitches that scored runs.
Brenton Liscum was pulled after the Mustangs took a 9-1 lead and Porter elected to pull many of the starters.
“We dumped the bench and gave our starters a rest,” he said.
In order to get reserves some playing time, some took the field in positions they may not normally play or hadn’t played in awhile. One was an outfielder that had a line drive hit to him that “got by him” that allowed the Cougars to score in the sixth inning.
“It was good to get everyone in,” Porter said. “It ended on a good positive.”
Machacek and Mattox each had 2 RBI and 2 hits, while sophomore Owen Nash had 1 RBI and 2 hits and Liscum had a RBI and a hit. Sophomore John Alan Whittle had 2 hits and junior Grant Carter, freshman Ben Sowers and Case Osloond each had 1.
Brenton Liscum allowed 2 unearned runs off 2 hits and a walk while striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings. Freshman Cade Briseno allowed 2 earned runs off a hit and 4 walks while striking out six in 2 1/3 innings.
Porter said he was especially pleased with the senior pitcher’s performance.
“He struck out seven and walked one in four-and-two-thirds – that’s a very good outing,” he said.
The Mustangs now turn their attention to China Spring in a bi-district best-of-three series at Jarrell High School. Game one is Wednesday, April 20, and game two is Thursday, May 1. Both start at 6:30 p.m. Game three, if needed, will be at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 2.
The Cougars (27-4, 10-0) are the District 23-4A champions and ranked No. 3 in the Class 4A poll of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.
“They’re a solid team,” Porter said. “Their one through nine are good.”
Depth is one trait these Cougars have the Mustangs are still developing. Porter believes China Spring has experience and depth in every position. Some of the China Spring players were in the program and on the roster that won the 2023 Class 4A state title.
Miles Vaughn, who was a freshman on the state title team and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, is back. He was the winning pitcher in the 3-2 state title game against Texarkana Liberty-Eylau in 12 innings.
In 2024, China Spring lost to Longview Spring Hill in the regional final 4-0 and 4-2. Spring Hill lost to Corpus Christi Calallen 3-2 in eight innings in Class 4A state semifinals.
Other Cougar pitchers include Jacob Hinojosa and Jackson Fetters.
“What (the Cougars) have is a large number of talented kids,” Porter said. “They won state two years ago and made a deep run last year.”
Marble Falls will enter this series with talented players. And for many, this will be the first time they are competing in the Texas playoffs.
What finishing the regular season on a two-game winning streak does is gives the Mustangs some of their swagger back.
“The regular season has been really good,” Porter said. “Optimism abounds. Brenton had seven strikeouts and a walk. He’s a kid who played for four years. He leaves on a positive note. That’s fun as a coach.”
CAPTION: Head coach Tyler Porter (left) talks to Grant Carter (11), Braxton Dicken (1) and Casey Layton. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
