The Marion baseball team finished 3-1 during action last week at a spring break tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Patriots (9-3 overall, 2-0 5A East) extended their winning streak to seven games with victories on March 21 against the Westview Chargers (4-3), and the Bibb County Choctaws (6-5) on March 22. Arkansas Class 6A power Bryant snapped Marion's prosperous run on March 23 in a 6-3 decision, before the Pats concluded their run in Alabama with a 7-6 conquest of the Ariton Purple Cats later that afternoon. Marion hit Westview for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning of the opener when four Patriots (Dylan Kight, Kaleb Catt, Chase Armstrong, and Connor Taylor) recorded hits. Taylor drove in a pair of runs, while sophomore Matthew Kearney walked twice. Armstrong tripled and scored. Marion sophomore Cohen Bumbaugh started against Westview and worked 2.1 innings, allowing a pair of hits and two runs, before he gave way to senior Tyler McGinnis. McGinnis responded by covering three frames, surrendering two hits and a run with three strikeouts. Armstrong retired the final two Westview batters via strikeout to earn the save. Marion rallied in a big way against Bibb County, erasing a three-run lead with a five-run bottom of the sixth to win 6-5. Kearney, Gage Watson, Jett Sutton, and Catt recorded hits for Marion, which struck out 11 times against Bibb County. Catt and Watson hit home runs in the second game, while Kearney struck a double. Daxton Davis started and spun 4.1 innings against Bibb County, allowing seven hits, and though he coughed up five runs, none were earned. He tallied a pair of strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Davis York relieved Davis and worked 2.1 innings, striking out three batters and allowing just one hit. Senior Ben Gerrard worked the seventh, striking out a pair of Choctaws to earn the save. Facing Bryant, which has won four state baseball titles in the state's largest classification since 2010, Marion led 2-0 after the first inning before the Hornets struck back with a pair of runs in the second inning, and a three-spot in the third inning en route to a 6-3 victory. Kearney and Armstrong each tallied two hits for the fightin' Pats, and Armstrong drove in two runs, scoring once and hitting a home run. Kearney struck a double and scored a run. Junior Slade Inman logged a hit, walked, and drove in a run, while Taylor and York also recorded hits for Marion. Armstrong struck out six in three innings, allowing five runs (two earned), on four hits, but six walks cost the Arkansas State commit. York relieved Armstrong in the fourth and surrendered one unearned run while striking out four batters and allowing no hits. Marion exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third inning to provide the winning margin against Artion in the finale. The Patriots won 7-6 despite committing six errors. Sutton was the star of the show against Ariton, finishing 3-4 with two RBI and scoring a run. Sutton logged a home run, triple, and a double. Armstrong recorded a pair of hits, including a home run, and he scored twice and recorded an RBI. Watson, Kight, and Taylor also homered for Marion. Gerrard started and fired three innings against Ariton, allowing two runs and two hits. Sutton, who picked up the victory, relieved Gerrard and three innings of his own, allowing four unearned runs on three hits, while he struck out four batters. York nailed down the save by working a scoreless seventh inning. Marion hosts defending Class 5A runners-up Jonesboro on Tuesday, March 29 for a varsity doubleheader at John Robbins Field at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30.