By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The thunderstorm that moved through Forrest City Thursday at midday washed away last night's schedule of youth baseball and softball games at the Sports Complex, including several make up games.
It also officially ended the Minor (pitching machine) League regular season.
Thursday's final two games were rained out and program director Kenneth Taylor said the games would not be made up.
That gave Taylor-Casbeer the Minor League title. The team finished with a 12-2 record.
M&T Paving, which has been chasing Taylor-Casbeer since the first week of the season and finally caught them this week to force a tie for first, finished second in the final league standings at 11-2.
M&T played one less game than Taylor-Casbeer during the regular season.
Mr. T Auto, at 10-4, finishes third in the final standings while Lion's Club ended fourth at 7-7. Easley Law held on for a fifth place finish at 6-7 followed by Joey's Muffler in sixth, Dr. Beasley in seventh and Farm Bureau finishing eighth.
The two traveling teams, which will represent Forrest City at the upcoming Cal Ripken 7&8-year-old pitching machine tournament to be played at Sherwood's Kevin McReynolds Complex, are in place.
Rusty Trail and Scott Deere will coach one team while Rob Johnson will coach a second team at the tournament, which begins Friday, July 13.
An eight-team invitational pitching machine tournament will be held Saturday at the Sports Complex.
The second annual Postseason T-Ball Tournament is set to begin Saturday at the Sports Complex at 9 a.m.
Weather permitting, the one-day tournament will conclude Saturday night with the playing of the championship game set to begin at 9:30 p.m.
All of the leagues regular-season teams will be involved in the tournament's double elimination style bracket.
Unlike during regular season, the teams will keep score during the tournament.
Hampton Inn defeated First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas to win last year's tournament.
Hampton Inn returns six players from last year's tournament championship team while First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas returns seven players.
Both teams begin the tournament in opposite sides of the bracket.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It finally happened. Thursday's scheduled make up rain out games were -- rained out as was another Thursday schedule of regular season games.
All but one of the youth baseball/softball rain out dates this season have been on either Monday or Thursday.
Tonight, action will on as scheduled when the 10-under girls' slow pitch softball league takes another step in winding down their season.
The 12-under girls' fast pitch league will close out their regular season schedule tonight.
The 16-under fast pitch league concluded their season on Tuesday.
The T-Ball League teams will play their rain out games from Friday, May 11 tonight.
The T-Ball teams will return to the Sports Complex on Saturday to play a one-day double elimination style tournament.
The Bambino (11-12) League will play its final regular season schedule of games tonight and will make up its only lost day -- from May 11 -- on Monday, June 25.
The Minor League (pitching machine) teams have finished their season but will host an eight-team invitational tournament Saturday and Sunday.
The eight teams, which include Forrest City, Marion, Olive Branch, Miss., Wynne, West Memphis and McCrory, will be divided into two pools of four teams for round-robin Olympic style play.
The semifinals and finals of the tournament will be played Sunday afternoon.
The Junior Babe Ruth League teams were rained out Thursday from their final regular season playing date.
Racer's Ag defeated Southwestern bell 16-15 Tuesday in Little League action at Palestine.
Jeffery Threat scored the game-winning run on a hit by Ned Webb and also had the game-tying RBI base hit. Justin Nosler and Rodrick Allen combined for the Racer's Ag pitching duties while Brandon Pinegar took the loss.
The Palestine traveling team will host Barton Monday at 7 p.m.