The Cardiac Pats did it again. Despite trailing in the sixth inning of Game One and in the seventh inning of the nightcap, the Marion softball team found a way to sweep a 5A East doubleheader from Paragould on Tuesday evening at AR Construction Stadium. Marion improved to 14-7 overall and 7-1 in the 5A East by scoring six times in the fifth and sixth innings of the first game, good for a 9-6 victory. The Pats came through with an even more improbable victory in the nightcap, scoring a combined eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings for a dramatic 9-7 victory that moved Marion to the cusp of clinching a spot in the 2025 state tournament at Benton. “This group just does not quit, no matter what may be going on,” said third-year Marion softball coach Drake Rowton. “We believed the whole time tonight. Our girls never gave up and expected to win. It was awesome to watch.” Marion muscled out 11 hits in the first game against Paragould, including a 3-3 night from junior Kaitlyn Austin, who also scored twice and drove in two runs. Presley Kuhn (2-3 with a run scored) and Madelyn Hamrick (2-3 with two runs and an RBI) also recorded multiple hits in the first ballgame. Maddie Cupples and Kayson “Kbelle” McClain combined to work seven innings for Marion inside the circle, striking out seven Rams and allowing just seven hits and four earned runs. The Patriot attack hit overdrive in the second game, pounding out 15 hits, including multiple-hit nights from Kolbie Triplett (2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI), McClain (2-4 with two runs and two RBI), Kynlee Shaull (2-4 with an RBI), Kuhn (2-4 with two runs), Sophie Moore (2-4 with two RBI), and Hamrick (3-4 with a run and an RBI). McClain entered in the third inning and pitched the final 4.2 innings, striking out four hitters, allowing just three hits and three runs to earn the victory. Marion finished fast in both games, but Paragould was out of the gates in a hurry, fashioning a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the third, when the Pats' bats came to life behind Austin and Hamrick, who singled leading off the frame. After the next two Patriots went down in order, McClain delivered a clutch two-out, two-run double to deliver Austin and Hamrick to the plate as MHS was within 3-2 after three. Paragould got one back in the top of the fourth, but Marion got back within one when Austin cracked a triple to plate Moore to make the score 4-3. But the Rams manufactured two runs in the top of the fifth for a 6-3 advantage, but Marion again got those back in the home half of the fifth when Kendall Eppes singled to deliver Triplett to the plate, and when McClain scored on a wild pitch, Marion was again within one run at 6-5. Kuhn, Moore, and Austin singled leading off the bottom of the sixth, Austin's hit delivering Kuhn with the tying run at 6-6, and when Moore came to the plate on a wild pitch, Marion had its first lead of the day at 7-6. The tally became 8-6 when Hamrick pulled a double into the left-field corner to deliver Austin and Chloe Miller chased in Hamrick with a groundout to cap Marion's prosperous sixth inning at four runs. A pair of Rams reached in the top of the seventh, but McClain induced a fly-out to Miller to cap the opening victory for Marion. Marion struck first in the top of the first of the second contest, but the Rams quickly regained the lead with a three-spot in the bottom of the first, and dded on with a single tally in the third, and two more in the fourth to claim a 6-1 lead that held until the top of the sixth inning. That's when McClain led off with a double and scored on an Eppes groundout, and when Moore doubled to deliver Kuhn, Marion was within 6-3. Paragould added a single run in the bottom of the sixth for a 7-3 lead that seemed safe until the first eight Patriots reached in succession, leading off the final frame. The Marion uprising began when Hamrick struck a solid single, followed by a Miller walk, and a Triplett hit plated Hamrick to make it a 7-4 ballgame. A McClain double delivered Miller as Triplett motored to third, and the Patriots were officially alive, trailing just 7-5. An Eppes groundout scored Triplett to make it a one-run deficit, and a Shaull fielder's choice brought McClain to the plate with the tying run. Following a Kuhn single, Moore pushed the Pats in front for the first time since in the first inning with a hit of her own, and Hamrick gave Marion a two-run cushion with a solid hit to deliver Kuhn for a 9-7 Marion bulge. McClain worked a perfect bottom of the seventh to slam the door on Paragould and move Marion to the precipice of the playoff picture. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion continues 5A East play on Tuesday, April 22, with a league doubleheader at West Memphis. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and you can watch the Marion-West Memphis doubleheader for free on the MPAN YouTube channel, on MarionPatriots.com, or on the MPAN mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 4/15 Marion 9, Paragould 6 Marion 9, Paragould 7 Greene Co. Tech 16, Batesville 0 Greene Co. Tech 17, Batesville 1 Valley View 15, Nettleton 0 Valley View 15, Nettleton 0 Searcy 17, W. Memphis 0 Searcy 14, W. Memphis 0 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 4/16 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Greene Co. Tech 8-0 Marion 7-1 Valley View 7-1 Searcy 5-3 Paragould 3-5 Batesville 0-8 Nettleton 0-8 W. Memphis 0-8 Top four teams make state tournament in Benton. 5A EAST DOUBLEHEADERS ON 4/22 Marion at West Memphis Valley View at Greene Co. Tech Batesville at Searcy Paragould at Nettleton