Patriots split with Batesville

Marion jockeying for playoff position as season winds down

By CHUCK LIVINGSTON

Marion School District

Like any team, the 2023 Marion Patriots have experienced ups and downs throughout the spring.

But to the Pats’ credit, they’ve often responded well.

The latest example was Tuesday night at Batesville’s Dianne House Lamberth Field in a doubleheader between two teams in a flat-foot tie for second place in the 5A East standings.

The Pioneers (17-8 overall, 8-4 5A East) rode a dominant start from Arkansas commit Mark Brissey in the opener, as the sophomore fired a complete game at the Pats for a 3-1 victory. Brissey registered 12 strikeouts, issued just three walks, and gave one unearned run.

But the fighting Pats (158, 8-4) fought back in the second contest, erasing an early 3-0 lead to rally for a 6-4 victory that keeps Marion, Batesville, and Greene County Tech square at 8-4 in the league standings ahead of the last conference doubleheader next Tuesday. Marion hosts Tech, while Batesville squares off with Nettleton.

Marion sophomore Carson Catt proved resilient on his own in the nightcap, working into the seventh inning, striking out seven Pioneers, and scattering six hits, while giving up four runs to earn the victory. Senior Jett Sutton inherited a runner when he entered in the seventh inning but turned away the Pioneers to pick up the save.

Game One Batesville 3, Marion 1

Marion lost the opener despite bringing the tying run to the plate in each of the final three innings.

The Pats drew first blood in the second stanza when Catt reached on an error with two outs before scoring the first run of the contest on a wild pitch.

The 1-0 tally lasted until the bottom of the third when Cale Glasgow reached on a dropped third strike. Catt retired the next two Pioneer batters as Glasgow reached second on a passed ball, and Conner Cunningham drove Glasgow in with a single to knot the game at 1.

The Batesville rally continued when Brissey helped his own cause by connecting on a double to right field to plate Cunningham as Batesville earned a 2-1 lead after three frames.

The Batesville one-run lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when the Pioneers rallied up despite the first two hitters going down in order. Brissey struck another double before he gave way to courtesy runner Garrett Rice. Rice took third on a wild pitch and scored on Blaine Baxter’s ground out to push the hosts’ lead to 3-1.

Matthew Kearney walked leading off the sixth but was caught stealing and the next two Pats went down on strikes.

Marion rallied again in the seventh when Cohen Bumbaugh was hit by a pitch followed by a Catt walk to put the tying run on base. But a Brissey strikeout clinched victory for Batesville.

Bumbaugh was the toughluck loser for Marion as the sophomore battled through five efficient innings, striking out eight and surrendering just four hits and three runs, though none were earned. Bumbaugh issued just one walk at Batesville.

Game Two Marion 6, Batesville 4

Marion turned the tables in the nightcap by scoring twice in the first and four times in the decisive fourth inning for a 6-4 victory.

Catt took the ball for the nightcap and settled in nicely after allowing three Batesville runs in the top of the first.

The Pats got two back in the home half of the first when Kearney was hit by a pitch and stole second. With two outs, Bumbaugh chased in Kearney with a double and Landon Miller delivered Bumbaugh with a base hit to get Marion within a run after one.

The 3-2 Batesville lead stood up until the bottom of the fourth when Marion junior Davis York and Catt walked before Sutton reached on a bunt single to load the bags with one away.

That set the stage for freshman Solomon Flores, who cracked a single into left field that delivered York and Catt for a 4-3 Marion lead.

With Sutton on second and Flores on first, Kearney poled a double that easily scored Sutton to push the Pat advantage to 5-3. A Coleman Barnett groundout delivered Flores as Marion’s lead hit 6-3 after four frames.

Catt handcuffed Batesville after the three-run first inning, barring the Pioneers from the scoreboard as he went back out for the seventh.

But that’s when Glasgow singled and Cunningham doubled leading off the final frame to set Batesville up with two runners in scoring position with nobody out.

Sutton relieved Catt and got Brissey to ground out, which scored Glasgow and moved Cunningham to third.

Baxter hit a sharp grounder to York at third, and he threw home to cut down Cunningham for the second out of the inning. Sutton retired Hayden Huckaba to end the Batesville threat.

5A EAST STANDINGS

Valley View………………………………….. 12-0 Marion………………………………………….. 8-4 Batesville………………………………………. 8-4 Greene County Tech………………………… 8-4 Searcy………………………………………….. 7-5 Nettleton……………………………………….. 3-9 Paragould……………………………………. 2-10 W. Memphis…………………………………. 0-12 The top four teams will qualify for the 5A State Softball Tournament in Marion later this month.

Marion senior Jett Sutton (6) fires a pitch to the plate. Sutton notched a save last Tuesday night at Batesville.

Photo by Chuck Livingston