The Marion softball team wasn't going to let potential inclement weather, a super competitive opponent in Northpoint Christian, or extra innings stand between it and victory on Tuesday night. Returning home after a respectable 1-2 showing in Oxford, Mississippi last weekend, Marion came up with its first come-from-behind victory of the season, rallying for a 9-8 victory in eight innings at Patriot Softball Complex. Marion won by scoring once in the first inning, three times in the second, four more times in the third, but was shut out until the bottom of the eighth inning when senior Ella McConnell bunted home junior Chloe Miller for the game-winning run. Patriot senior right-hander Anna Hitchman made the support stand up by striking out 16 Trojans in a complete-game effort, where she allowed only six earned runs. Marion (2-3 overall) barred Northpoint Christian from the scoreboard in the top of the eighth inning when freshman catcher Kayson “K. Belle” McClain threw out Northpoint's courtesy runner trying to steal third for the inning's first out. Hitchman took it from there, fanning the last two Trojans to give Marion a walk-off opportunity. Miller opened the home half of the eighth as Marion's courtesy runner on second base, and McConnell dropped a sac bunt, and legged out a single, which allowed Miller to come around with the winning run. Marion recorded nine hits against Northpoint, including two apiece from McClain, who also drove in two runs and walked and scored once. Jordyn Stinson finished 2-3 with three RBI and a run scored, while Kendall Eppes, Miller (1-3 with three runs scored and a walk), and Olivia Morquecho (1-2 with two RBI, a walk, and a run) also recorded hits. The Patriots started the scoring in the home half of the first when McClain struck a solid single and scored on a passed ball. Northpoint got that run back in the top of the second, but Marion scored three times in the bottom of the second when Miller smacked a single and scored on Stinson's base hit for a 2-1 advantage. Morquecho coaxed a walk with two outs and Stinson on first, McClain cracked a double that plated Morquecho and courtesy runner Alexis Jones for a 4-1 Patriot lead. But the visitors pushed back in the third, scoring four times for a 5-4 lead, setting the stage for a Marion one-out rally in the bottom of three. Hitchman walked, Kendall Eppes singled, and Miller walked to load the bags, bringing Stinson to the plate with two down. The junior smacked a clean hit to left field, allowing courtesy runners Kaitlyn Austin and Maddie Cupples to score for a 6-5 lead. Morquecho added fuel to the fire on the ensuing at-bat when she ripped a single to right field to chase down Stinson and Miller for an 8-5 Marion lead. Northpoint chipped away from there, scoring once in the fourth, and twice to tie the game in the seventh inning to force extra innings at 8 apiece. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hoses Riverside on Thursday at 4:30 for a varsity/junior varsity doubleheader. The Riverside varsity contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app and the MPAN YouTube channel.