Marion baseball's seniors were recognized between games of Tuesday night's 5A East series finale against Greene County Tech at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium. Just like most of Marion's 2025 season, there were ups and downs, but ultimately the Patriots weathered the storm. Marion rallied for five unanswered runs in the middle innings to erase an early 1-0 Tech lead, and the Patriots nailed down an 8-2 victory that assured MHS of at least a tie for third place in the 2025 Class 5A state baseball tournament. The teams started the second contest and reached the top of the third before rain forced the game to be suspended, to be finished on another day. The teams were scoreless when the game was called. The Pats likely will be the No. 3 playoff seed in next week's state tournament at Benton, but tiebreakers must still be solved over the next week to decide that. Should Marion earn the No. 3 playoff seed, the Patriots would play at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, against the 5A South's conference runner-up. You can watch every Marion baseball and softball state tournament game for free on the MPAN YouTube channel or on MarionPatriots.com. Marion (15-11 overall, 8-5 5A East) muscled out nine hits against Tech on Tuesday evening, including a 3-4 night from sophomore Max Molloy, who also drove in four runs and scored twice. Carson Catt (1-4), Hudson “Turkey” McKewen (1-2 with an RBI and a run), Ladd Langley (1-2 with an RBI), Brody Byrd (1-3 with a triple and a run), Ben Bateman (1-2 with a walk and a run), and Myles Holt (1-3 with an RBI) came up with Marion's other hits. On the bump, junior Coleman Barnett earned the victory for the Patriots, spinning five strong innings at the Eagles, striking out six, allowing just five hits, and a pair of earned runs. Bateman worked the final two innings, striking out a pair and allowing just one hit. Tech broke through in the top of the third when Kannon Ring was hit by a pitch leading off the frame, and Jude Stewart drove in the game's first run with a ringing double for a 1-0 Eagle lead entering the bottom of the third. With one away there, Molloy poled a double to left field, moved to third on Catt's single, and scored on McKewen's sacrifice fly that knotted the game at 1 after three full frames. Byrd led off the bottom of the fourth with a solid triple to the right-center field gap, and he scored on the following at-bat when Barnett bunted Byrd to the plate as Marion took its first lead of the afternoon at 2-1. With one out, Bateman walked, and Holt's double delivered courtesy runner Jude Jackson for a 3-1 lead. Molloy strode to the plate for the next plate appearance, and his single to left plated Cooper Strayhorn and Bateman for a 5-1 Patriot lead to open the fifth. There, the Eagles got one back to work within 5-2, but Marion pushed back ahead by four at 6-2 when McKewen tripled and scored on a Langley sac fly. That score held until the bottom of the sixth, when Bateman singled with one out, and Molloy mashed a long home run to left field to set the final score. Bateman worked around a one-out single and got the final two Eagles to slam the door in the seventh. Molloy started the nightcap for Marion and threw two effective innings, striking out three, when the game was suspended. MHS opened conference play 1-3 this spring, and was 2-4 following a doubleheader split the following week at home against Nettleton, residing all alone in sixth place in the league standings. The Pats put together a four-game conference winning streak from there, sweeping Paragould at home and going on the road for a twinbill sweep of West Memphis. Batesville blasted Marion in the opener of the teams' April 29 doubleheader 8-0, and the Pioneers had the Patriots down 2-1 in the sixth inning of the nightcap before Marion scored twice and won a dramatic 3-2 contest to punch a playoff spot. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion and Greene County Tech are scheduled to finish their suspended game prior to the state tournament, though a date has not yet been determined. Marion plays at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, against the 5A South's No. 2 seed in Benton. You can watch every Marion baseball and softball state tournament game for free on the MPAN YouTube channel or on MarionPatriots.com. SENIOR CELEBRATION Five members of Marion's baseball program were recognized between games on Tuesday night. Baseball players Cohen “Jimmy” Bumbaugh, Carson Catt, and Hudson “Turkey” McKewen, as well as team managers Maylei Cartwright and Logan Shelton, were recognized for their contributions to the program. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 5/6 Marion 8, Greene Co. Tech 2 Marion 0, Greene Co. Tech 0 (game suspended due to weather) Batesville 6, Nettleton 2 Batesville 5, Nettleton 3 Paragould 9, W. Memphis 2 Paragould 20, W. Memphis 1 Searcy-Valley View is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7. 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 5/7 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Valley View 12-0+ Searcy 10-2+ Marion 8-5+ Greene Co. Tech 7-6+ Batesville 6-8 Paragould 6-8 Nettleton 3-11 W. Memphis 1-13 +clinched state playoff berth