Allen East rallies past Marion Local 5-3 behind fifth-inning surge and Thompson relief outing

Allen East erased a three-run deficit Monday and took control with a three-run fifth inning, beating Marion Local 5-3 at Baseball Field. The decisive stretch came after the Mustangs trailed 3-1, when Ethan Hershberger drove in three runs to push Allen East in front for good.

Marion Local set the early tone, scoring once in the second inning and adding two more in the third for a 3-0 lead. S. Heitkamp did much of that damage for the Flyers, finishing 2 for 3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a home run. Allen East answered in the fourth when Caleb Lybarger helped cut the deficit to 3-1, then flipped the game an inning later.

The Mustangs scored three times in the fifth to move ahead 4-3. Hershberger, who finished with three RBIs in only two official at-bats, delivered the key production in the inning. Allen East managed five runs on five hits and took advantage of Marion Local's two errors, even while producing just five hits for the game.

Allen East's pitching settled the game down after the early trouble. Lybarger started and worked three innings, allowing six hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out six. Jackson Thompson took over in relief and changed the game. Thompson threw four scoreless innings, allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out eight to earn the win. Allen East pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts and limited Marion Local to no runs over the final four innings.

Lybarger also contributed at the plate, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk, while Thompson scored twice and added a hit and a walk. Marion Local starter E. Osterholt was charged with the loss after pitching five innings and allowing four runs, one earned, on five hits. Allen East added an insurance run in the seventh, then closed out the three-inning comeback victory by holding the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way.