Danielle Blocker can be clutch too.

  The Marcus senior smashed a clutch RBI single to score teammate Devon Wallace in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday to beat District 6-5A foe Coppell 5-4 in third round playoff action.
 

 Marcus (23-6-2) came into the inning having given up just three hits on the strength of pitching ace Heather Foust’s right arm. Coppell, however, pounded out four hits in the top of the frame to tie the game. With two outs, Coppell attempted to steal third base and the pick off attempt went awry as the ball sailed down the left field line. As the Coppell player tried to score, however, she was thrown out at home by none other than Blocker – who had raced up to snare the errant throw and make the put out at home.
 

   “She did a great job on offense for us, but I think the biggest play of the game by far was the play at the plate because that would have given them the lead,” Marcus head coach Christy Tumilty said. “I knew that if we could just get out of that inning with it still being tied, we could find a way to win.”
   

    That’s exactly what Marcus did.
 

    With one out, Wallace drew a walk and was followed by Foust, who reached on an infield bunt to put runners at first and second with just one out. Two batters later – with two outs – Blocker got her big hit. Incidentally, it was Blocker that single handedly beat Irving Nimitz in a one-game playoff one round earlier. In that game, Blocker hit a shot down the right field line to score the winning run in the eighth inning. Marcus won 3-0.
  

     Marcus will next face Lubbock Coronado, but beat Mansfield Summitt on Tuesday. No time or date or site had been set as of press time.
  

     Heading into Tuesday, Marcus hadn’t given up a single run in the postseason. In fact, they recorded four shutouts and gave up just six runs between April 20 and Tuesday night. But Tumilty said Tuesday’s comeback by Coppell was not a knock against Foust. Coppell simply knows how to stay in any game at any time, she said.
    

     “That’s one of the things we talked about,” Tumilty said. “We’ve beaten them twice, but you can just forget about it because they are a tough team. I told the girls that they know what Coppell can do, and Coppell also knows us very well too.”
   

       Coppell lost twice to Marcus during the regular season, both close games. On March 31, they lost 6-4 to the Marauders, then fell in a 1-0 drag out on April 20. On Tuesday, the Cowboy hitters didn’t chase very many of Foust’s pitches. She allowed just three hits through the first six innings and only had three strikeouts.
 

   “It didn’t shock me at all,” Tumilty said. “They stayed patient. It was a great game.”