Patriots sweep away Paragould

Marion baseball earns pair of conference wins

By CHUCK LIVINGSTON

Marion School District

Marion coach Pete Prater can appreciate a good pitching performance like few can.

So Tuesday night’s 5A East doubleheader sweep of Paragould at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium was right in Prater’s wheelhouse.

Marion (11-6 overall, 5-3 5A East) rode a pair of dominant starts from sophomore Cohen Bumbaugh and senior Jett Sutton to a pair of massive conference victories, turning away the Rams (5-13, 0-8) 2-0 and 7-4.

Bumbaugh dazzled in the lid-lifter, firing a no-hitter over seven innings. The talented sophomore struck out 11 Rams and walked just three. Bumbaugh crafted a one-hitter during Marion’s run over spring break in Gulf Shores.

Sutton picked right up where Bumbaugh left off in the nightcap, carving up Paragould for four no-hit innings, while the all-conference performer of a season ago struck out five batters and walked just one.

The first Paragould game doubled as Prater’s 100th victory at Marion, and the veteran coach boasts a tidy 101-40-1 mark (71 percent winning percentage) since his first season in 2018.

Prater’s teams have won a pair of conference titles (2018 and 2022), and the 2022 Class 5A state championship with a stellar 29-5 final record.

Marion’s sweep helped the Pats keep pace in a crowded 5A East playoff picture. The Patriots are currently tied with Batesville for the fourth and final playoff spot with identical 5-3 marks in league action. Marion travels to Batesville for a massive 5A East doubleheader on April April 25.

Searcy (6-2 in the 5A East) is in third place in the league standings, but Marion owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions by virtue of a doubleheader sweep on March 14. Only the top four finishers in the 5A East qualify for this season’s state tournament in Marion.

Game 1 Marion 2, Paragould 0

The Pats wasted little time jumping on visiting Paragould in the opener on Tuesday night when lead-off batter and shortstop Matthew Kearney doubled and scored when Tyler Carey struck a two-bagger of his own and the hosts led 1-0 after an inning.

Bumbaugh took over from there, retiring 15 of the next 18 batters that he faced, including seven on strikes. The sophomore struck out the side in the second inning.

But Paragould starter Chris Jordan was up to the challenge after the early turbulence in the first. The Ram hurler swapped zeroes with Bumbaugh until the bottom of the sixth when sophomore Carson Catt walked with one out and junior Landon Miller delivered Catt with a single to right field that gave the hosts a 2-0 lead entering the seventh inning.

Bumbaugh sat down the first two Paragould batters in the seventh before Isaiah McChriston walked to bring the tying run to the plate.

But that’s when Bumbaugh struck out Aaron Dearing on three pitches to clinch the final score in favor of the hosts.

Game 2 Marion 7, Paragould 4

Marion pounded out eight hits in Game Two, led by two knocks apiece from Miller (2-4 in the second game against Paragould with two runs and an RBI) and Parker Nash (2-4 with an RBI). Senior first baseman and Lyon College signee Connor Taylor added an RBI triple.

The Marion offense matched its run total from the first game in the initial inning of the second contest, and it started when Taylor drew a two-out walk just before freshman Tucker Smith reached on an error.

That’s when Marion executed a double steal that brought Taylor to the plate as Smith swiped second. A Nash double delivered Smith and the Pats enjoyed a 2-0 lead before Paragould came to the plate.

Sutton struck out one hitter in every inning he threw, and he worked an efficient, perfect third inning as he seemed determined to make the 2-0 lead hold up.

Marion added a run in the third when Catt singled and scored when Miller reached on an error.

Sutton helped his own cause when he singled and stole second leading off the fourth inning. That’s when Kearney pulled off a textbook sacrifice bunt that brought Sutton around for a 4-0 Marion lead. The Pats added one more in that frame when Miller singled and scored on Taylor’s triple.

Marion manufactured more two-out magic in the sixth when Kearney singled, stole second, and scored on another clutch Miller hit. A Taylor sac fly scored Miller for a 7-0 Marion bulge.

Paragould struck for two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings, and the Rams had the tying run at the plate in the seventh when Catt retired two of the batters that he faced to lock down the save.

APRIL 11 5A EAST RESULTS

Marion 2, Paragould 0 Marion 7, Paragould 4 Valley View 7, Nettleton 5 Valley View 15, Nettleton 0 Greene County Tech 6, Batesville 4 Batesville 5, Greene County Tech 3 Searcy 17, W. Memphis 3 Searcy 5, W. Memphis 3

5A EAST STANDINGS

Valley View 8-0 Greene Co. Tech 7-1 Searcy 6-2 Marion 5-3 Batesville 5-3 Nettleton 1-7 Paragould 0-8 W. Memphis 0-8

Marion pitcher Cohen Bumbaugh (44) fired a no-hitter against Paragould on Tuesday night.

Photo by Londa Hamrick