Mustangs fall to Gateway in district play

• Marble Falls head coach Tyler Porter (left) notes the best part about playing each District 24-4A opponent three times is the amount of playing experience for his Mustangs. Photos by Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com

The Marble Falls High School baseball team lost to Georgetown Gateway 7-0 March 12 in District 24-4A play.

The Gators (1-1) scored all the runs they needed in the first inning.

“Gateway is good,” Marble Falls head coach Tyler Porter said. “They’re better than they were last year. We gave up a couple of walks and not making plays when we needed to. Anytime you can get a run in, it’s a good thing.”

Marble Falls senior pitcher Evan Nickowski (0-2 in district play) was credited with the loss though more than half of Gateway runs were unearned.

“They hit a few balls hard,” Porter said. “A lot of it was walks and errors.”

Meanwhile Gateway pitcher Cole Spacek threw a one-hitter in seven innings.

Porter noted his Mustangs (8-6, 0-2) are still learning how to play a district contest on the varsity level. What the Mustangs may lack in district play experience, they are making up for in effort, he said.

“We’re not hitting well, not fielding well and not pitching well,” he said. “And that means I’m not coaching well. This is their first time through. They're trying to figure it out. The energy wasn’t there. If we cut the strike- outs and field the ball, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

The adjustment to competing under the spotlight that is Texas high school baseball takes time, Porter said, and can only be gained by playing. He noted three Mustangs have that experience, while others are getting it.

"In our first 5 district games, we’re getting a feel for everybody,” he said. “We really are so young. We’re doing the fundamental stuff early. Every time my freshmen play one game, it’s like a senior who has played three district games.

There’s a learning curve. I’m still very optimistic.

After we play five or six, we’ll have an idea of who we are. We’re trying to figure ourselves out."

Marble Falls welcomes Burnet Tuesday, March 19, with the junior varsity playing at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity plays at 7 p.m.

Jennifer Fierro publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalk-Talk.com. To send her a note, email fierrojenni fer@yahoo.com.