WEST MEMPHIS --- As the weather warms up, every baseball game in the 5A East gains importance, and that was especially true on Tuesday afternoon at Tilden Rogers Park. That's where defending Class 5A state champion Marion looked to stay hot against its Crittenden County neighbor, West Memphis. The Pats did a lot of things well in sweeping a doubleheader from the Blue Devils 21-5 and 12-2. For starters, Marion (13-6 overall, 7-3 5A East) scored nine times apiece in the first and third innings of Game One to remove any sort of drama from the proceedings. The Pats scored runs in every one of their opportunities in the nightcap, including six in the second and four in the third, to notch a second straight run-rule victory. Marion kept pace in the uber-competitive 5A East baseball chase with its third conference doubleheader sweep of the season. The Pats moved into a three-way tie for second place in the league with Batesville and Greene County Tech, both of which match Marion's 7-3 league mark. The Pats close out their 2023 conference schedule next Tuesday at Batesville and on May 2 at home for Tech. GAME ONE MARION 21, WEST MEMPHIS 5 Marion muscled out 14 hits and drew 12 walks from West Memphis pitching to score its 21 runs. Senior first baseman and Lyon College signee Connor Taylor went 4-4 in the lid-lifter at West Memphis, driving in seven runs and scoring twice. Sophomore utility man Carson Catt went 2-5 with two RBI and a run, including a towering home run to left field. Junior shortstop Matthew Kearney finished 2-2 with four runs, three RBI, stole two bags, and drew a pair of walks. Junior Landon Miller walked twice, scored three runs, and stole a pair of bases. Marion marched 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, and the Pats already led 4-0 with two outs, but with the bases loaded, Kearney blistered a double into the gap that plated Slade Inman, Justin Morgan, and Parker Nash for a 7-0 Marion advantage. A Taylor double delivered Jett Sutton and Kearney to cap Marion's nine-run rally in the first. West Memphis got one back in the home half of the first on a walk and a pair of errors, and the teams swapped zeroes in the second, but Marion responded in the top of the third when the first four Patriots reached and Taylor delivered Kearney and Sutton with a two-run double. Taylor pounded another single later in the third, this one scoring Nash and Kearney and Marion's lead swelled to 18-1 headed to the bottom of the third. Catt capped the scoring when his home run drove in freshman Tucker Smith in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Cohen Bumbaugh made the run support stand up as he struck out 5 over 3 innings and allowed just 2 hits and just a pair of earned runs to earn the victory. Sophomore Hudson McKewen worked an inning and struck out one hitter and Kearney fired the fifth, notching a strikeout. GAME TWO MARION 12, WEST MEMPHIS 2 Marion stayed hot offensively in the nightcap, as eight of its nine starters accounted for 9 hits, and the Pats drew 8 walks while never striking out in the 12-2 victory in five innings. The Pats scored in every plate appearance of the second game, including six runs in the second inning and four more in the third. Senior Marion right-hander Jett Sutton earned the victory after striking out six Blue Devils in three innings and allowing just a pair of hits and two unearned runs. Senior Daxton Davis relieved Sutton and fanned four West Memphis batters and did not allow a baserunner. Kearney scored on a Davis York groundout to tie the game at 1 after an inning in the second game, and the decisive Marion run launched in the home half of the second when Miller walked on four pitches before Inman singled with one out. That set the stage for a Bumbaugh triple that delivered Justin Morgan and Inman for a 3-1 Marion lead. Bumbaugh would come around on a passed ball later in the frame, while Nash would score on an error and Taylor would deliver Solomon Flores for a 6-1 Marion lead. Miller delivered Taylor with a hit and a 7-1 Patriot lead after a pair. Bumbaugh ripped another triple with one out in the third before he scored on a Nash hit. York delivered Kearney and Flores with a single and when Catt walked, he forced in Taylor for an 11-1 bulge. Marion senior right-hander Daxton Davis relieved Sutton in the fourth inning and struck out a pair of Blue Devils and did not allow a baserunner in his 1.2 innings to close out West Memphis. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels on Saturday to Collierville, Tennessee for a non-conference tilt. The junior varsity contest will begin at 11 a.m. The Pats continue conference play on Tuesday, April 26 when they travel to Batesville for a massive league doubleheader. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM APRIL 18 Marion 21, West Memphis 5 (five innings) Marion 12, West Memphis 2 (five innings) Valley View 7, Greene County Tech 2 Valley View 8, Greene County Tech 2 Batesville 4, Searcy 1 Batesville 7, Searcy 6 Paragould 5, Nettleton 3 Paragould 11, Nettleton 6 5A EAST STANDINGS ON APRIL 19 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top 4 make playoffs in Marion) Valley View 10-0 Marion 7-3 Batesville 7-3 Greene County Tech 7-3 Searcy 6-4 Paragould 2-8 Nettleton 1-9 W. Memphis 0-10