First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium has become quite the home-field advantage for the Marion Patriots over the past three seasons. Marion entered Monday night's tilt against Class 4A Brookland 30-3 in its home park since 2021. Make it 31-3. The Patriots scored six times in the bottom of the third on Monday night to cruise to a 9-0 victory over the Brookland Bearcats at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium. Seven Marion starters recorded hits against Brookland, including three RBI and two runs from junior shortstop Matthew Kearney, and two RBI plus a home run from senior first baseman and Lyon College signee Connor Taylor. Marion improved to 14-6 overall behind a strong start from junior right-hander Jack Carter, who fired five innings at Brookland, striking out four batters and allowing a single hit and a walk. Kearney and freshman Tucker Smith each struck out one batter in an inning of work. The Patriots struck first when Kearney was hit by a pitch and scored on Taylor's fielder's choice, and the 1-0 lead held until the third inning. That's when Taylor led off the frame with a towering home run, his second of the season, to right field that doubled the Marion lead. Two batters later, junior Davis York ripped a ground-rule double down the left-field line before Carson Catt walked and Slade Inman was hit by a pitch. Senior Jett Sutton delivered York with a walk and the Marion lead was 3-0. That's when Kearney crashed a double into the right-center field gap that nearly rolled to the wall to plate Catt, Inman, and Sutton, and when junior Landon Miller cracked a triple to score Kearney, Marion's lead was 7-0. Carter allowed the only hit of the night to Brookland starter pitcher Weston Spier in the top of the second, and he sat down eight Bearcats in a row between the second and fifth innings as Marion added to its lead. Catt connected on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to deliver Cohen Bumbaugh, and Marion scored again in the sixth when Inman hit a deep fly ball that allowed York to score Marion's ninth run. Kearney relieved Carter by working a perfect sixth inning, followed by a flawless seventh from Smith, who'd entered the game earlier as a pinch-hitter. Marion accepted nine walks and struck out just six times against five Brookland pitchers as Spier took the loss for the Bearcats. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels Tuesday night to Batesville to continue 5A East play with first pitch of the initial game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. 5A EAST STANDINGS ON APRIL 24 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD (Top 4 teams make state playoffs at 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 +clinched playoffs 5A EAST DOUBLEHEADERS ON APRIL 25 Marion at Batesville Greene County Tech at Searcy Valley View at Paragould Nettleton at W. Memphis