Sloppy Toppers

Sloppy Toppers

Errors rack up, but Marion splits doubleheader

Sports Editor MILLINGTON, Tenn. –Last night’s doubleheader at USA Stadium may not go down as the cleanest pair of games that Junior Weaver has ever seen or coached, but the results could have certainly been much worse.

Weaver’s Toppers were topped by the Ponotoc Red Sox in a seven-inning outing, 12-4 before rallying to win the nightcap 7-5 to improve to 4-2 overall.

Holding Marion back against Ponotoc was an eye-popping 10 errors by Weaver’s charges, three in the opener followed by seven in the second contest, leading to nine unearned runs.

“You’re playing a talented ballclub. They have some Mississippi State signees and several JUCO kids, the big deal is that defensively we’re not very solid right now,” Weaver admitted after the game. “We’re giving them too many extra outs. We’re not making plays that typically we do make, and pitcher’s pitch counts are going way up.”

Ponotoc was hot with the bats almost immediately, plating four earned runs in the top of the first, doing so on three hits.

That lead held until the bottom of the fourth when the Toppers plated their first run when Bryce Logan reached on an error and scored on a Kollin Stone single.

However, Ponotoc struck back with three runs in the fifth and seventh innings, while also adding a pair in the sixth inning.

Six of those eight runs were unearned, thanks to three Marion errors.

The Toppers scored three times in the sixth, plating a pair on a Matt Fraser tworun single that scored Stone and brother Gavin Stone.

Nolan Smith was tabbed with the loss in the opener after pitching four innings, allowing four runs and six hits. It was his first start of the season.

While Smith was victim to an early hole, Gavin Stone, Marion’s starter in game #2, benefited from one.

The Riverside right-hander surrendered four runs in the bottom of the first inning to trail 4-1, but Marion was ready in the top of the second, scoring five times for a 6-4 lead.

That rally started when Parker Benson and Peyton McElroy each singled to start the frame and when Kollin Stone walked to load the bases, Preston Nichols drove Benson in with a single.

A Cam Smith walk plated McElroy and Fraser chased in another run with a single before Nolan Smith raked a two-run double to right field to cap the scoring, and give his squad an injection of life.

“We squared some balls up, we finally got some timely hits,” explained Weaver. “Nolan had a big hit to drive in a run.

Ponotoc had some good arms, and we were able to turn some fastballs around.”

Armed with a lead, Stone worked a perfect second inning and allowed a single walk in the third before working around a pair of errors in the fourth to keep the score at 6-4.

The Toppers tacked on in the top of the fifth when Nick Alsbrook singled and scored on a wild pitch for a 7-4 lead.

That run nearly came into play in the bottom of the fifth despite Stone retiring the first two hitters that he faced.

With those two outs, the next two Ponotoc batters struck a double and reached on an error, which forced Weaver to summon his designated closer Kollin Stone to the bullpen to get the final out.

Yet another error put the tying run in scoring position at second base before Stone induced former Mississippi State signee and Chicago Cubs draftee Delvin Zinn to hit a soft liner to Gavin Stone at shortstop to end the game and hand Kollin Stone his first save of the season.

“He’s a fastball/slider guy, a two-pitch guy out of the bullpen. He’s tough on these right-handed hitters and his velocity is good,” Weaver said of his fireman.

Gavin Stone was the winner of the game after working 4.2 innings, allowing five hits, four unearned runs and striking out five batters.

While the team defense hasn’t pleased Weaver yet, he’s not jumping up and down on the panic button yet.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“We’re gonna have a good ballclub by the end of the summer,” says the coach.

“We’ve had some guys out, guys will mesh and gel. We’re gonna get some guys back into their more natural positions. The more we play, the better we’ll get.”

Marion will play Marion High School’s extended summer team on Friday night at John Robbins Field, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

By Chuck Livingston