NEWS

CHUCK LIVINGSTON
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 5/1/2024
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 5/1/2024
Photo Credit: Londa Hamrick
PATS SPLIT AT GCT, EARN NO. 2 SEED
PARAGOULD --- Marion and Greene County Tech swapped haymakers for 14 innings on Tuesday evening at Bruce Hunt Field, and the result was a classic split decision.
Marion rode a dominant start from junior right-hander Cohen Bumbaugh, who threw his third no-hitter in his last four starts, to a 2-0 victory in the first game.
Greene County Tech bounced back in the nightcap, scoring four times in the top of the fourth and holding Marion off in the late innings for a 5-4 conquest.
The teams cap their 5A East schedules with identical 10-4 records, but Marion will earn the No. 2 playoff seed in this year's state tournament based on run differential, while the Eagles will be the No. 3 playoff seed.
"Anytime we come up to Greene County Tech, we expect a war," said Marion coach Pete Prater. "They're always good, they play hard and smart. You can't take anything for granted. I'm glad we were able to get a win, and come back and show a little fight in the second game. Good response by our guys."
Bumbaugh was brilliant again on the bump in the lid-lifter, striking out eight Eagles en route to his third no-hitter in league action, in addition to a pair of one-hitters. Bumbaugh finished 6-1 against 5A East competition in 2024, with the one loss a 1-0 defeat to Valley View in which he surrendered just a single hit.
The Marion (20-8 overall, 10-4 5A East) offense did just enough, scratching out single runs in the second and fifth innings.
The second-inning Marion uprising started when freshman Max Molloy poled a one-out double, stole third, and scored the game's first run on Carson Catt's groundout.
The Pats conjured up some two-out magic in the fifth when sophomore Solomon Flores laced a triple and scored on Matthew Kearney's clutch single.
Bumbaugh issued single walks in the bottom of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but wiggled out of trouble to preserve the shutout.
"Jimmy (Bumbaugh) really gave us a chance in the first one," said Prater. "Took the bats a little while to come around, and we came up with some timely hits. I didn't always love the approach, but we did enough good things to beat a quality team at their place."
Greene County Tech (18-8, 10-4) circled the wagons in the nightcap, blowing open a 1-1 game with a four-run fourth inning.
The uprising began when six of the first seven Eagle batters reached in the fourth frame, starting when Tucker Beasley and Brodie Ryan led off with singles, followed by a Jude Stewart walk.
With one out, Isaac Howard drove in the go-ahead run when he drew a walk, and Jack Williams delivered another run when he was hit by a pitch and the Eagles led 3-1.
Tech plated another tally when Cannon Driskill reached on an error, and the Eagle rally crested when Cason Scott chased in a run with a groundout.
Marion got back onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth when Solomon Flores was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and scored when Myles Holt rapped into a double play, but the Eagle lead was still 5-2.
The Pats slapped together some one-out magic in the bottom of the sixth when Max Molloy walked, and Trey Fleming singled for pinch-hitter Tyler Carey, who drove a ball into right field near the line to deliver Molloy and Fleming to get the Pats within 5-4.
Flores led off the seventh inning with a walk, but Tech's Kannon Ring notched the save by retiring the last three Patriots in order to help Tech salvage the series split.
GCT left-hander Asher Griffin earned the win by tossing four innings and allowing a single run.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion will play in the state baseball tournament for the seventh consecutive season, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 9 at Equity Bank Park in Harrison. The Pats will play either Maumelle or Sylvan Hills in the tournament's opening round.
Every Marion state baseball tournament game will be broadcast on the MPAN YouTube channel, MarionPatriots.com and on the MPAN mobile app.
FUNNY 20
Marion's victory in the first ballgame went down as the Pats' 20th victory this spring, the fifth time in six seasons that the team has reached that milestone under Prater.
“Of course, it's a big deal because that means that we have won some games and guys are doing the right things,” said Prater. “But ultimately, we don't want to be satisfied with 20 wins. We view it as what you do at the state tournament dictates what kind of year we had. We aren't happy just going, we wanna go up there, win a couple of games, and play good ball.”
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 4/30
Marion 2, Greene Co. Tech 0
Greene Co. Tech 5, Marion 4
Valley View 9, Searcy 2
Valley View 18, Searcy 1
Batesville 3, Nettleton 1
Batesville 12, Nettleton 1
Paragould 12, W. Memphis 4
W. Memphis 5, Paragould 1
FINAL 5A EAST STANDINGS
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Valley View 14-0
MARION 10-4*
Greene Co. Tech 10-4*
Batesville 9-5
Searcy 7-7
W. Memphis 3-11
Paragould 2-12
Nettleton 2-12
*Marion earns tiebreaker on run differential against GCT
Chuck Livingston
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 5/1/2024
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 5/1/2024