Marion to play for 5A State Baseball Championship

Patriots face Van Buren in title game this weekend

By CHUCK LIVINGSTON

Marion School District

HOT SPRINGS — While the ballparks that comprise Majestic Park in Hot Springs are named after some of the better sluggers in MLB history, the Marion Patriots did their best to pay homage to the deadball era during last week’s Class 5A state baseball tournament.

Following a 10-0 run-rule victory over White Hall last Thursday in the tournament’s opening round, the Pats recorded shutouts in Friday’s quarterfinal victory against Benton (5-0) and during Saturday’s semifinal conquest against Sheridan (7-0). Marion did not allow a run in 21 innings at the state tournament.

Marion (28-5 overall) will play for a state championship for just the second time in school history (2014) at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon when the Patriots play defending Class 5A state champion Van Buren at Benton Sports Complex. Van Buren eliminated Marion in last season’s quarterfinal round with a 6-4 victory. The game can be viewed on ArkansasPBS.com and will not be streamed live on MarionPatriots.com.

Marion’s 15th consecutive victory and fifth straight shutout catapulted the Pats into the final. Marion has not allowed a run since it beat Briarcrest Christian 2-1 on April 30.

“We’ve had teams like this in the past where the offense is sporadic,” said Marion coach Pete Prater. “We’ve done some different things to create and manufacture runs, but the pitching and defense have carried us really all year long.”

Senior Ben Gerrard spun a complete game shutout on Friday against Benton, striking out 10 Panthers, surrendering just three hits, and issuing a pair of walks.

“Ben is a guy who in just two years has grown so much as a pitcher,” said Prater. “He came to us as a big-bodied kid. He could throw it hard, but couldn’t throw a strike. He didn’t know what was possible. Last year it started clicking a little bit, and now this year it’s just grown every day. He’s wanted to be the best pitcher on this team, and he’s carried himself that way this year.”

Junior first baseman Connor Taylor kept Benton off the scoreboard in the fourth inning following a double by Benton’s Drake Womack. Taylor ran to second base to back up a play and fielded an errant throw as Ethan Perry sprinted to the plate. Taylor made a perfect throw to Kight at the plate for the inning’s first out, and Gerrard retired the last two batters to end the threat.

Marion made the most of its five hits against Benton, highlighted by a pair of RBI by senior third baseman and pitcher Chase Armstrong. Senior catcher Dylan Kight rapped an RBI triple against Benton, and senior shortstop Connor Brinkley logged an RBI single.

The Benton victory qualified Marion for the state semifinals for the fourth time in school history (2007, 2011, and 2014).

It was Armstrong’s turn to deal on Saturday, when the Arkansas State signee fired a complete-game shutout while limiting a potent Sheridan attack to just five hits, and the Marion offense took advantage of six timely hits and three Yellowjacket errors to log seven runs.

Marion struck for two runs in the top of the first against Sheridan when Taylor clutched up and struck a two-out, two-run single to score Payton Voyles and Carson Catt and the Pats led 2-0 after one turn at-bat.

Kight reached on an error in the fourth to score senior Kaleb Catt, while senior Gage Watson (1-3 against Sheridan with three RBI, a run scored, and a walk) scored on a passed ball for a 4-0 Marion bulge.

Watson was back at it in the fifth when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. The left-handed Missouri signee struck a double down the right-field line that scored Matthew Kearney, Brinkley, and Kaleb Catt to cap the scoring at 7-0.

Kearney snared a hot line drive in the bottom of the seventh to push the Pats to the final.

Photo by Chuck Livingston

The 2022 Marion Patriots celebrate advancing to the state final following Saturday’s 7-0 semifinal victory over Sheridan.