Brian Fruechting carried a shutout and a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning against Ellsworth, and the Warriors ace teamed with reliever Marshall Ragland to bring home the first round upset win. Seeded sixth in a 7-team bracket, Marion held on for a 7-5 win over the third-seeded Bearcats Monday in Hillsboro.
Ellsworth ended Fruechting?s shutout with a single run in the bottom of the fourth, tallied twice in the bottom of the fifth and notched two more in the bottom of the sixth.
The MHS offense did not counter, leaving Ragland to work himself into and out of a severe jam in the seventh.
After the tying run scored, Ellsworth loaded the bases. With two outs, Bearcats sophomore Jake Kubick stepped to the plate with a chance to win it, but Ragland forced a game-ending popup to shortstop Corey Seacat.
Marion?s next game was 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of Beloit-Herington. A second win would put the Warriors in the regional final, which is slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday.
