Lack of timely hits stuns Toppers

Lack of timely hits stuns Toppers

Sports Editor

One sequence in the bottom of the fourth inning more or less summed up the offense of the Marion Toppers over the last two days.

Trailing 4-3, the Toppers got a one-out single from Bryce Logan before the scrappy utility man moved to third on a throwing error. Leadoff man and Shortstop Gavin Stone lofted a fly ball that should have been deep enough to score Logan to tie the game, except for one detail. Logan started up the third base line towards the plate before having to retreat to tag up and was subsequently thrown out at the plate.

It was just that type of day for the Toppers, who lost for the second time to the Shockers in 2016, dropping a 6-4 game at John Robbins Field before rallying to win the nightcap 5-1.

Following the team’s best tear of offensive baseball over the past two weeks, the Toppers have lost two of their last four outings, including a 1-0 home loss to Jonesboro on Tuesday evening.

“I don’t know if we’re hitting the wall right now because of playing so many games in so few days or what,” reckoned Marion Toppers head coach Junior Weaver, who blessed the Logan double play by throwing his hands up to the heavens. “Some of our older guys are kind of lethargic, going through the motions, not having good at-bats, just giving at-bats away. We’re not making routine plays.”

The stats would appear to back Weaver’s statements up, as the Toppers left six runners on base in their seven plate appearances.

While it’s unlikely that the game was decided in the first inning, the visiting Shockers were able to come up with some serious damage control. Blake Daniels was hit by a pitch and scored when Nick Alsbrook chased him in with an error and the Toppers led 1-0 with two outs.

Kollin Stone was then hit, giving Marion (18-4-1 overall) two runners on with Nolan Smith up, but Smith struck out looking and the Toppers left the first inning with just one run to its name.

The hosts extended their lead to 3-0 in the third when Daniels singled and scored on an Alsbrook double and Alsbrook came around on a Kollin Stone ground-out to the pitcher.

However, Mississippi took the lead for good in the fourth inning, tallying four runs off of losing pitcher Larkey Dotson. The righthander from Bolton, Tennessee surrendered five hits in that frame to leave the game trailing 4-3.

“Dotson wasn’t very sharp today. He was up in the zone and was behind too many hitters,” said Weaver. Marion got within 6-4 in the sixth when catcher Trent Johns walked and scored on a Heath Stephenson pinch-hit double to right field, but the last five Toppers batters were retired in order to hand the Shockers a key victory.

The Toppers got back after it in the second game, winning 5-1 behind a four-run first-inning explosion and a solid start by winning pitcher Parker Benson and a two-inning save from Logan.

“They wanna play, they play hard. Maybe I should turn them into my first group,” Weaver says. “They gave us some energy again tonight.”

Logan started the scoring by reaching on an error and scored when Nolan Smith reached on a miscue.

Preston Nichols chased in Matt Fraser and Nolan Smith with a hit for a 3-1 lead. Alsbrook would score on passed ball later for a 50 lead.

Benson fired three no-hit innings at the Shockers before handing off to Logan, who worked the back end and allowed just one hit, and one earned run. The Toppers twirlers struck out seven batters while issuing just one walk.

The Toppers finish their season series against the Shockers with a record of 3-2-1 overall, having played three sets of two games in three different states.

The first double-dip was played at FedEx Park on the campus of the University of Memphis. The second series was hosted by Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi and last night’s game was played at John Robbins Field in Marion.

Marion will participate in the Paragould Invitational this weekend, opening play on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Alsbrook will be the team’s starter in that game.

By Chuck Livingston