As the weather warms, there may be few teams in the state hotter than the Marion Patriots. That trend continued on Tuesday afternoon at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium, where the Marion nine swept a conference doubleheader from Paragould (13-0 and 14-0), each contest lasting just five innings. In the opener against Paragould, Marion (16-5 overall, 7-1 5A East) scored 13 runs on eight hits, while pitchers Chase Armstrong and Davis York combined for a five-inning no-hitter, while the Rams (1-20, 0-8) managed just one baserunner. Armstrong has not allowed a hit in his last three conference starts against Jonesboro, Nettleton, and Paragould. The Marion dominance extended into the nightcap when a more aggressive Patriot offense produced 14 runs on 13 hits. Eight Marion batters logged hits in the second game, led by senior left fielder Luke Bullins' 3-3 night with a pair of RBI. Marion's pitching in game No. 2 also impressed as Ben Gerrard, Gage Watson, Jett Sutton, and Daxton Davis teamed up to fire five innings of one-hit ball at the Rams. “First game we were flat, complacent and we just didn't come out ready to play,” said Marion coach Pete Prater. “I thought at times we just didn't care. In the second one, we were more aggressive at the plate. We just took too many pitches in the first game. We want to be an aggressive offense and put pressure on the defense.” Marion played as the visitor in the first game after Paragould elected to move its home game to John Robbins Field, and the Pats scored in the top of the first when Watson (three walks and three runs scored in the opener) drew a base on balls and came around on Armstrong's (1-3 with two RBI and a run scored) fielder's choice. Armstrong, an Arkansas State signee, took the ball in the home half of the first and retired the side in order, including the last two on strikes. Armstrong struck out seven consecutive batters bridging the first and third innings. The right-hander has not allowed a base hit since his March 23 start against Class 6A juggernaut Bryant in Gulf Shores, a span of 13.1 innings. Armstrong has struck out 51 batters this spring in just 27.2 innings, allowing just 11 hits, and eight runs (five earned). He's crafted a staff-best 1.26 ERA in 2022. The Pats struck back with four more in the second when first baseman Connor Taylor (2-3 with an RBI and a run) walked before Bullins (1-1 with a run scored) was hit by a pitch. A Watson walk loaded the bases to set the stage for a Matthew Kearney (1-2, two RBI and two runs scored) two-run single and a 3-0 Marion advantage. Catcher Dylan Kight (1-2 with three RBI) chased in Watson and Kearney on a two-base error. After a scoreless third, Marion went back to work in the top of the fourth as the Pats notched two more runs when Watson and Kearney scored on Armstrong's single. The Pats put the game away in the fifth when they marched 12 batters to the plate in a six-run frame. Bullins and Connor Brinkley (1-3 with a run and an RBI) singled before Kearney drew a two-out walk. That's when Kight cracked a three-run double, and the Marion backstop came around on a Taylor scoring single. Armstrong and Tyler McGinnis walked and scored when Bullins walked and Brinkley reached on a hit by pitch, respectively. Moving to the nightcap, Marion scored in all four of its offensive half innings, including a three-run first inning. Watson (2-3, four RBI, and a run scored in the second game) led off with a hit by a pitch before Armstrong (1-3 with two runs scored) reached on a walk. York plated Watson with a single before a Bullins double chased in Armstrong. Gerrard surrendered a hit to the third batter of the contest, but was electric otherwise, striking out five hitters in two innings. Marion tossed up a five-spot in the second, keyed by McGinnis (2-2 with three runs), who singled ahead of Brinkley's (1-3 with three runs) hit by pitch. Kight plated McGinnis on an error by the third baseman and Brinkley and Kight came across on York's two-run single. Bullins chased in York with a double to cap the inning. McGinnis and Brinkley again sparked a Marion rally in the third, when they led off with singles before Watson scored both a hit of his own. Sutton reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Kight's base hit, and Kight came across when Kight reached on an error. Watson, Sutton, and Davis each threw an inning in relief of Gerrard. Marion pitching struck out 20 Rams on Tuesday while walking just three. Sutton struck out four batters in the top of the fourth, a baseball rarity. WHAT'S NEXT Marion kept pace in the 5A East standings with its sweep of Paragould on Tuesday night. The Patriots are currently tied for first place in the league with Jonesboro, which Marion split with last month (5-2 and 1-2). Batesville (12-4, 5-2) beat Greene County Tech (14-3-1 and 6-1) 4-3 on Tuesday night, but the second game was postponed. Searcy is just outside the playoff picture with a 4-2 league mark. Marion swept Searcy in March's conference opener, but the Pats have yet to face Batesville or Greene County Tech. “We control our own destiny,” said Prater. “If we take care of our business and do what we need to do, we can get where we want to get. We think we can pitch and play defense with a lot of the better ones, but we have to find some ways to score to beat those elite teams.” Marion will celebrate Senior Night on Tuesday when West Memphis visits for a varsity conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.