Mustangs lose to district champion Bulldogs

• Freshman Grant Carter is one of several underclassmen playing for the Mustangs, gaining valuable experience that will pay off. Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com

The Burnet High School baseball team defeated Marble Falls 7-4 April 16 in District 24-4A play.

That win coupled with Lago Vista’s 5-2 loss to Lampasas means the Bulldogs (23-3, 11-1) are the 2024 district champions.

“We didn’t know that until (the morning of April 17),” head coach Russell Houston said. “Twenty wins is a lot when you play 26 games. That goal has been accomplished.”

Houston, who is in his seventh season leading the Bulldogs, noted this is their first district title under his watch.

“It says a lot about these kiddos and how much work they put in,” he said. “It’s definitely an accomplishment. That was one of the goals. You write down four or five goals as a team at the beginning of the season. You check that one off the list.”

The contest didn’t begin that way. The Mustangs plated 3 runs in the first in-ning highlighted by a double off the wall by senior Sergio Hernandez.

Marble Falls scored again in the fourth inning when freshman Grant Carter went home on a ground ball.

“When you’re playing great, you’re everybody’s World Series and Super Bowl,” Houston said. “Everybody wants to knock you off. I think we’re getting everybody’s best.”

Burnet's first three runs came off walks. In the fifth inning, the Bulldogs scored two runs for a 5-4 lead thanks to a double by Noah Crawford.

During the course of the contest, Burnet drew 12 walks and 3 Bulldogs were hit by pitches. The Bulldogs’ 7 runs came off 2 hits.

“Think about that for a minute,” Mustangs head coach Tyler Porter said. “We’re up 3 and they have 2 outs and we walk 7 guys. We make 7 errors.”

Still, Porter noted his team played better than it did during the 13-3 loss to Lago Vista April 12. The infield featured mostly underclassmen.

“We didn’t play great, but we played better,” he said.

The Mustangs used four pitchers starting with sophomore Nick Smith.

“We threw strikes, but we basically started every inning with a runner on first and second,” Porter said. “That’s 15 free passes in a seven-inning game.”

Houston noted that his team “gifted them a couple of runs, too.”

“That’s the game of baseball,” he said. “We have experienced players in big roles – kiddos who’ve done it and see the positive outcome, that it’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile Burnet senior pitcher Kade Shaw was credited with the win in five innings of work. Kason O’Hair relieved him.

Houston said he’s been apart of teams that have talent and ability and simply need a few innings to get experience and allow Mother Nature to transform bodies.

“Sometimes it’s not until the next year,” he said. “We’re an experienced team that expects it to go good for us. We stay the course and stay as positive as we can and understand they’re going to get an opportunity. You have to be ready and take advantage of that opportunity.”

The outcome of this contest allowed the Bulldogs to exhibit the depth of their talent and dedication. The district title symbolizes that.

“I think it’s the resiliency and confidence," Houston said. “No matter the situation they believe they’re going to come back and win. We have a lot of experience from the last couple of years. These kiddos have been through it and apart of it. Success breeds success.”

Jennifer Fierro is a 1992 Marble Falls High School graduate who publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalkTalk. com. To send her a note, email fierrojennifer@yahoo.com.