The Marion baseball team spent its spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama last week by taking on some of the top competition in the region. The Pats recorded a respectable 2-2 record on the trip despite losing the first two games to Goodpasture Christian (6-2) and Daniel Boone (6-3). Marion salvaged the trip by routing the Greenbrier Bobcats 10-1 on Wednesday, March 22, and rallying for a walk-off victory over the Albertville Aggies 6-5 later that afternoon. The Pats look to stay on top of the 5A East standings Tuesday afternoon when Marion travels to play Valley View. The first pitch of the varsity doubleheader is scheduled for 4:30 and it will be broadcast on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. GOODPASTURE CHRISTIAN 6, MARION 2 A pair of errors conspired to sink Marion in its opener at the beach as Goodpasture Christian scored three times in the first inning and three more times in the sixth and seventh inning for a 6-2 victory. The Marion offense muscled out nine hits in the lid-lifter, including a 3-3 performance from junior lead-off man, shortstop Matthew Kearney, who also scored twice. Senior Connor Taylor was 2-4 against GC, and sophomore third baseman Cohen Bumbaugh finished 2-3. Sophomore second baseman Carson Catt also recorded a hit. Only two of the runs Marion allowed were earned. Junior Davis York started for Marion and spun five innings of quality ball, surrendering three walks and just two hits with seven strikeouts. None of York's three runs allowed were earned. Senior Daxton Davis relived York and struck two batters out and allowed just one hit and one unearned run. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the first, Marion got one back when Kearney singled and scored on a Hudson Mckewen groundout. Kearney sparked another rally in the second when he doubled and scored on a Slade Inman base hit to get the Pats within 3-2 after two. The pitchers took over from there, swapping zeroes for the next three innings until GC struck for a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to clinch the final. DANIEL BOONE 6, MARION 3 Fireworks awaited Marion's second game of the trip as DB scored three times in the fifth inning, followed by Marion rallying to tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the sixth, only for DB to score three more times in the top of the seventh. Catt sparked the Marion offense with two RBI and a run in three at-bats, while junior Parker Nash also chased in a run. Inman recorded a triple and scored against DB. Senior all-conference performer Jett Sutton started and spun 4.1 innings against Daniel Boone, striking out seven and walking a pair. Sutton surrendered just four hits and three runs, two of which were earned. Landon Miller threw a good inning of work, striking out a pair and allowing just one baserunner. Daniel Boone claimed a 3-0 lead in the fifth, but Inman sparked a sixth-inning Marion rally when he reached on a hit-by-pitch just before Kearney reached on an error. Catt crashed a hard ground ball to short to plate Inman and Kearney, and Nash delivered Catt on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3 entering the seventh. Following Daniel Boone's three seventh-inning runs, Inman struck a two-out triple in the home half of the seventh but did not score. MARION 10, GREENBRIER 1 Bumbaugh flirted with a no-hitter in Marion's third game in Gulf Shores, ultimately surrendering a single hit that went off his foot. The talented sophomore recorded 15 strikeouts while allowing just one unearned run in the win. The Marion offense exploded for 10 hits against Greenbrier, with Bumbaugh helping his own cause to the tune of three hits and two RBI. Taylor finished 2-3 with two RBI and two runs, while Catt logged a hit and two RBI with a run. Miller was 1-2 with a run and walk. Kearney struck a lead-off double in the first inning and scored on a Taylor two-bagger. Bumbaugh delivered Taylor with a double of his own, and courtesy runner Solomon Flores scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 Marion lead. The Pats came back with four runs in the second when Catt plated Miller with a hit before Taylor delivered Catt with a single. Bumbaugh's second double gave Marion a 7-0 lead entering the bottom of the second. A Kearney single turned into a run when Catt hit in the top of the sixth, and Marion added two more when Dewayne Williams, Jr. scored on a York sac fly just before Kearney delivered York with a single. MARION 6, ALBERTVILLE 5 A see-saw contest took center stage in Marion's finale in Gulf Shores as the Pats struck for three runs in the bottom of the first, but fell behind as Albertville scored twice in the third, once in the fourth, and two more times in the fifth. Marion responded with single tallies in the home half of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to register a walk-off 6-5 victory. Taylor took the ball and kept Marion in the game by spinning five quality innings, surrendering five runs, only one of which was earned, with four hits and eight strikeouts. Daxton Davis fired the final two innings in relief of Taylor to earn the victory. Daxton Davis struck out a pair of batters while allowing only two hits. Taylor produced at the plate against Albertville, as well. The senior Lyon College signee went 2-2 at the dish with a pair of walks and an RBI, while Catt was 1-3 with a walk. Bumbaugh (1-3 with a walk and a run), York (1-3 with three RBI, a run, and a walk) and Mckewen (2-3 with an RBI and a walk) also logged hits. York opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when he plated Bumbaugh and Williams with a double, and when McKewen's single scored York, Marion led 3-0 after a stanza. Albertville scored the next five runs, however, and enjoyed a 5-3 lead as Marion took its turn in the bottom of the fifth. Kearney, Catt, and Taylor reached to open the home half of the fifth, and Marion scratched a run out when York coaxed a walk to get the Pats within 5-4. Inman singled and Kearney walked with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Taylor delivered Kearney with a clutch two-out single to tie the game at 5 after six frames. Davis surrendered a lead-off single in the seventh, but got the next three in order, including a pair of strikeouts, to give Marion a chance to walk it off in the seventh. McKewen started the winning rally when he walked before giving way to the speedy Flores at first. Flores stole second during Nash's at bat and he took third when the Albertville catcher could not corral strike three. Another passed ball allowed Flores to tally the game-winning run. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels on Tuesday to play Valley View. The 5A East doubleheader will begin at 4:30 p.m. And will be broadcast live on Marionpatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. 5A EAST STANDINGS AS OF MARCH 27 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 2-0 Valley View 2-0 Greene Co. Tech 2-0 Batesville 2-0 Nettleton 0-2 Paragould 0-2 Searcy 0-2 W. Memphis 0-2