Lady Mustangs softball season ends in loss to Burnet

• Among the expected returners are junior pitcher Camille Catalfamo and freshman shortstop Jocelyn Suarez. Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com

The Marble Falls High School softball team lost to Burnet 10-0 April 16 in a game that ended after 6 innings.

The Lady Dawgs (8-2 District 24-4A runners-up) scored all the runs they needed in the first inning. Sophomore lead-off bat - ter Halle Maxwell reached first and went to second on a 1-3 out by senior Lexi Leatherwood. Maxwell stole third. Senior catcher Camrynn Guthrie stole second after reaching base when she was hit by a pitch. Senior Maddison Moise hit a 2 RBI triple to right field to clear the bases.

Burnet added to the lead in the second by plating 6 runs thanks to taking advantage of free bases and Marble Falls errors. Seven of the Lady Dawgs’ 10 runs were unearned.

“We didn’t play a right defensive shift,” Lady Mustangs head coach Alex Lozoya said. “No one was covering a base. We started trading outs for runs.”

Junior second baseman Kylie Roberts caught the last two outs to end Burnet’s scoring streak.

From there, Marble Falls didn’t allow the Lady Dawgs to score again for three consecutive innings thanks to the Lady Mustangs making routine outs on ground balls, pop-ups and flyballs.

“Kylie Roberts played out of her mind,” the coach said. “As well as she played, she’s thinking about another play. She had a tough ground ball that goes down as an error. If you ask her, she’d tell you she needs to be perfect on defense. She has done an incredible job playing defense for us. She was phenomenal.”

He also was equally pleased with freshman shortstop Jocelyn Suarez. Lozoya has pointed out Suarez’s speed to get to balls is a big asset. Where she continues to grow is knowing where to go with the ball when it goes to her and understanding how much strength she needs to make the throw de- pending on where she's at on the field.

“Jocelyn has grown defensively to make plays,” the coach said.

Offensively, Roberts, first base coach Aspen Howie and Lozoya teamed up to challenge a call. The Lady Mustang was picked off at first base. But she insisted she slid under the tag to avoid being out by refusing to leave the base. Howie stayed, too. And when Roberts looked at her head coach and put her hands on each side of her helmet to gesture replay or challenge, Lo- zoya walked to the officials.

After a short conversation, the call was reversed. And though Marble Falls didn’t score, it served as an important moment because it displayed a trait Lozoya and his staff have been emphasizing to their players all season.

“Our spirit is not going to give in,” he said.

Before the game, the program said good-bye to senior Aydan Ortis and senior manager Emma Martin.

“A big thank you to the Ortis family, John and Samantha Ortis, Aydan’s parents,” Lozoya said. “We have a new paint job on our dugouts, backstop and batting cages thanks to the Ortis family. They’ve been super supportive and allowed me to coach their kid hard. They’ve allowed us to coach her. She’s been open to it. Now that she’s going to Syracuse University, we wish her the best of luck.”

Martin has been the ideal team handler in that she didn’t need to be reminded or told how to best help the team, the coach said.

“She will do wonders as a veterinarian,” he said. “She’s ahead of the game. She’s always telling me, ‘I’ve ordered team meals, I’ve done this, I’ve done that.’” The Lady Dawgs are bracing to face Gatesville in a rematch of last season’s bi-district championship.

Georgetown Gateway is the District 24-4A champion at 9-1, while Lampasas is third at 6-4 and Jarrell is fourth at 4-6.

With so many Lady Mustangs returning, Lozoya said he hopes the players can see they have what it takes for a better 2025.

“I hope they can see the potential is there, the ability is there,” he said. “We have to sharpen our tools in the offseason to make a bigger impression on 2025.”

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.