Arms race

Arms race

Pitchers dominate in Marion City Classic

Sports Editor

To say that last Friday afternoon’s showdown between the Marion Patriots and the Marion Toppers was dominated by pitching would be an understatement.

With West Memphis Christian sophomore Parker Benson and Marion senior Tyler Steele swapping zeroes, it appeared likely that the game’s first run would win the game.

That’s exactly what happened as West Memphis native Cam Smith singled and scored the only run in the top of the fourth inning, crossing on a Nolan Smith single to carry his team to a 1-0 win at John Robbins Field.

The hits by the Smiths were the only hits in the game all day Benson tossed a five-inning no-hitter at the Patriots, the only baserunner he allowed being a fourth-inning walk to Peyton Lawhon. He struck four batters out.

Steele was nearly as effective. The right-hander threw the game’s first three innings, allowing just one baserunner of his own when Heath Stephenson reached on an error in the third. Steele would strand Stephenson when he induced Toppers leadoff hitter Gavin Stone to fly out to right field.

The Toppers would break through against Lawhon, who entered in relief in the fourth inning. He pitched the final two innings, allowed that run and just two hits.

“Two guys pitching to contact, some pretty good defense,” said Marion Toppers head coach Junior Weaver after the tight win.

“We had some atom balls, probably five or so that we hit right on the nose, right at people. You gotta give them credit for making some plays on those balls.” Benson moved to 2-0 this summer and his no-hitter was actually the second one tossed by the Toppers staff in 2016. In the team’s home opener against Paragould American Legion, Nick Alsbrook and Nolan Smith combined on a no-hitter in a 6-1 victory.

Smith took his first at-bat in that fourth inning and hit the first pitch he saw just over second base into right field. An error allowed Toppers cleanup man Matt Fraser to reach and get Smith to second, where Nolan Smith found the outfield with the game’s final hit, which plated Cam Smith.

“I think guys may have been trying to do too much,” Weaver says.

“They’re trying to turn on fastballs, pulling off of pitches that don’t have a lot of velocity. It’s still baseball, you still have to play with enthusiasm, you still have to play the game the right way.”

Lawhon retired the next two Toppers in order to escape the inning.

With the way Benson was working, that appeared as though it would be enough to hold up. The righty faced a three-ball count just twice all day, including the one walk that he served up in the bottom of the fourth.

Following that free pass, Benson retired the last four Patriots in order, including a strikeout.

“He’s a strike-thrower,” Weaver said of Benson.

“He doesn’t have a ton of velocity right now, but that’s gonna come as he continues to grow. He throws strikes, he does a good job of going 0-1 in the count. He really has a lot of ability and I think we’re all excited to see where he’ll go this summer.”

The Toppers completed a sweep of the Pats in the nightcap by scoring eight times in the first inning en route to a 10-1 win where Nolan Smith was the winning pitcher.

By Chuck Livingston