Marion came up with some two-out magic on Tuesday night, and not a moment too soon for the Patriot softball team. Senior all-state performer Kelsey Eppes cracked a two-out triple to left-center field in the bottom of the fifth and freshman Kayson “K. Belle” McClain drove Eppes in with a double to give Marion a 3-2 lead it would not relinquish in the first game of a 5A East doubleheader with Valley View. The Blazers circled the wagons and limited the Pats to three hits in the nightcap as the teams split their doubleheader for a second straight season. Marion (4-8 overall, 1-3 5A East) muscled out eight hits in the opener against Valley View (5-2, 3-1), including two hits apiece from Eppes and McClain, and one hit apiece from Triplett, Kendall Eppes, Jordyn Stinson, and Ella McConnell. Senior starting pitcher Anna Hitchman made the offense stand up by spinning a complete game, striking out eight Blazers, scattering five hits, and surrendering two runs, just one of which was earned. In the nightcap, Marion got two hits from McClain and one from Hitchman, but couldn't come up with the timely hit to spark a rally. Valley View got started early in the opener, scoring twice, and carrying a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the third. That's when Marion rallied up as Stinson and McConnell singled leading off the inning, giving the Pats two on with nobody out. A Kelsey Eppes infield single brought Stinson to the plate, and a McClain hit delivered courtesy runner Alexis Jones as Marion got even at 2 after three complete innings. That lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when the first two Marion batters went down on strikes, summoning Kelsey Eppes with two away. The senior drove a ball over the Valley View centerfielder's head and slid safely into third with a clutch triple. Triplett fouled the first three pitches of the following at-bat off, took two close pitches for balls, fouled another offering away, and slapped a single past the third baseman as Marion took its first lead of the afternoon at 3-2. Hitchman worked around two baserunners down the stretch to help Marion close out the dramatic victory. Marion threatened in the first and third innings of the second game, putting two runners on in the first inning, and three aboard in the third, but could not plate a run. The Blazers cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third and struck for three more in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Hernando, Ms. on Thursday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. for a varsity/junior varsity doubleheader. The Patriots resume conference action on Tuesday, April 2 with a 5A East doubleheader at Nettleton. The Arlington and Nettleton games will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com, the Marion Patriots Activities Network app, and the MPAN YouTube channel. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 3-26 Marion 3, Valley View 2 Valley View 6, Marion 0 Searcy 4, Nettleton 3 (11) Searcy 16, Nettleton 15 (8) W. Memphis 12, Batesville 2 W. Memphis 10, Batesville 8 Greene Co. Tech 10, Paragould 0 Greene Co. Tech 11, Paragould 0 5A EAST STANDINGS AFTER 3/26 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Searcy 4-0 Greene Co. Tech 3-1 Valley View 3-1 Paragould 2-2 W. Memphis 2-2 Marion 1-3 Nettleton 1-3 Batesville 0-4 5A EAST DOUBLEHEADERS ON 4/2 Marion at Nettleton Searcy at Paragould Greene Co. Tech at W. Memphis Batesville at Valley View