The Marion team has advanced to the championship game of the Colt World Series by beating Greensboro, North Carolina, 8-5 on Monday night. Marion will play Covina, California in Tuesday's championship game, at 7 p.m. at Rent One Park in Marion (the game is played too late for the Republican's deadline).
Marion, the defending CWS champion, is hoping to keep the World Series trophy at home for the second year in a row.
Against Greensboro, Marion started the scoring in the bottom of the first on a single by Caleb Siebers. Greensboro tied it up in the 2nd on a double by Conner Smith.
Marion broke things open in the bottom of the third. Ethan Golish's sacrifice fly scored one, and then Dawson Griffith and Jack Ford each singled to drive in a combined three runs and Marion grabbed a 5-1 lead.
In the fourth, Marion scored again with the bases loaded, when the batter at the plate was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run. The score went to 8-1 when Drake Moss hit a fly ball triple to drive in one run, with Caleb Siebers hitting another single.
Greensboro tried to catch up to Marion in the top of the sixth. Nathan Billings was hit by a pitch, advancing the runners and scoring a run. A single by Wesley Clewis and a sacrifice fly by Angel Mora Valdes cut Marion's lead to 8-4.
In the seventh and final inning, a Greensboro single by Conner Smith scored the final run, and Marion won, 8-5.
