Patriots batter Rams
Marion softball sweeps doubleheader with Paragould
By CHUCK LIVINGSTON
Marion School District
As the softball season hits the halfway point, the Marion Patriots seem to improve with each game.
Marion’s active seven- game winning streak seems to prove as much.
The Patriots played complementary softball again on Tuesday afternoon at Marion Sports Complex, marrying good pitching and defense with a relentless offense.
Marion improved to 12-4 overall and 7-1 in the 5A East with decisive victories of 16-1 and 6-1 over Paragould (4-13, 1-7).
The sweep kept Marion very much alive for its first conference title since 2018, though the Pats would likely need to win out to earn the flag and a No. 1 seed in this season’s Class 5A state tournament, which Marion will host.
Marion senior pitcher Anna Murphy spun her second consecutive shutout in the first game of the evening, scattering three hits and striking out two in four innings. Murphy has allowed just one run in her last three starts, highlighted by a no-hitter in her previous outing against Senatobia, Mississippi The Marion offense made Murphy’s effort stand up in the first game, ripping 12 hits and scoring in all four opportunities at the plate.
Junior starter Anna Hitchman took over in the nightcap, twirling a complete-game gem at the Rams, striking out 11 batters and allowing just six hits and a single unearned run to pick up the victory. Hitchman walked just one batter. Marion pounded out 10 hits in the second ballgame.
Game 1 Marion 16, Paragould 0
Marion drew seven walks and struck out just three times in the first Paragould game.
Eight of the nine Marion starters recorded at least one hit and four Patriots came up with two hits in the first contest, including senior centerfielder Mckenzie Shinabery (2-2 with three runs, two hits, and two walks in the first game) and senior infielder Kelsey Baker (2-3 with four runs and four RBI) who each cracked home runs. Junior Kelsey Eppes (2-2 with two RBI and a run) and senior catcher Jacey Holder (2-3 with an RBI) also logged a pair of hits.
The fun started immediately when senior infielder Brianna Morquecho walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and was able to walk home on Baker’s bomb to left field that gave the hosts a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. Eppes reached on a hit-bypitch later in that frame, and she took advantage of a Paragould error to score the third run.
Shinabery walked with one away in the second before she scored on a Baker hit, and when Hitchman produced a hit, Baker scored for a 5-0 Patriot advantage.
Murphy worked a perfect top of the third and the offense blew the game open in the home half as the first six Patriots reached and scored.
Murphy singled and Ella McConnell walked leading off the third and Chloe Miller reached on an error, giving Marion the bases loaded with nobody out, and Shinabery and Morquecho delivered runs when they drew walks.
Baker’s double plated Miller and Shinabery, and an Eppes sacrifice delivered Morquecho just before Holder brought Baker down on a single for an 11-0 lead. A McConnell double delivered Maddie Cupples for a 12-0 lead after three.
Shinabery’s sixth home run of the spring was a towering shot to left field leading off the fourth. Morquecho and Baker reached following Shinabery’s blast, and Hitchman and Eppes delivered each with hits to trigger the sportsmanship rule.
Game 2 Marion 6, Paragould 1
Marion jumped Paragould again in the nightcap, scoring once in the first inning, twice in the second stanza, and one more time in the third. The Patriots put the game out of reach with two more tallies in the top of the sixth inning.
Four Patriots came up with two hits in the second game, including Hitchman (2-3 with a walk in the second outing), Eppes (2-4 with a run and an RBI), Holder (2-3 with a run, and an RBI), and McConnell (2-3 with an RBI). Baker’s lone hit was a big one, as she recorded a triple. Both of Eppes’ hits were doubles, and Shinabery, Holder, and Hitchman also logged two-baggers.
Shinabery got the Pats off to another fast start, crashing a double and scoring on a Baker groundout for a 1-0 Marion lead after an inning.
The Pats got the bats rattling again in the second when Holder singled and Murphy reached on an error, and when McConnell reached on a fielder’s choice, Marion’s lead swelled to 2-0. A Chloe Miller groundout delivered Murphy for a three-run lead after two.
Baker led off the third with a triple and scored when Eppes struck a double for a 4-0 lead.
That score held until the bottom of the third when Paragould scratched out a run on an error and two hits, but Marion maintained a 4-1 advantage until the top of the sixth.
That’s when Eppes ripped her second double of the game leading off that frame and scored on Holder’s two-bagger. A Murphy groundout delivered Holder to give Hitchman a 6-1 lead into the seventh.
The junior worked around a lead-off single by retiring the last three Rams she faced to earn the win.
APRIL 11 5A EAST RESULTS
Marion 16, Paragould 0 Marion 6, Paragould 1 Greene County Tech 11, Batesville 0 Greene County Tech 9, Batesville 2 Valley View 10, Nettleton 4 Valley View 5, Nettleton 1 Searcy 16, W. Memphis 1 Searcy 15, W. Memphis 5
5A EAST STANDINGS
Greene County Tech 8-0 Marion 7-1 Valley View 7-1 Searcy 6-2 Batesville 2-6 Paragould 1-7 W. Memphis 1-7 Nettleton 0-8
Marion outfielder Chloe Miller (17) digs in at the plate. Miller drove in a run and scored once in the Patriots’ doubleheader sweep on Tuesday of Paragould.
Photo by Londa Hamrick
