By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots baseball team fell short in their bid to get their first win of the season Tuesday, but the effort was a good one.
Hosting West Helena, the Patriots fell behind 3-0 early but rallied to tie the game at 4-4, only to lose the lead and the game 5-4 in the sixth inning.
The Patriots tied the game in the bottom of the third inning when Jason Ford, Michael Barnes and Jon Busby each walked to load the bases with two outs.
Sean Northcutt delivered a two-RBI double to bring in Ford and Barnes to knot the game at 4-4.
It stayed that way until the top of the sixth when West Helena struck for a pair of singles and a ground out that scored the game-winning run.
Palestine-Wheatley made some noise in the bottom half of the inning when Ford led off with a double to left field. Pinch-runner Darran Johnson was left standing at second however, when Barnes, Teddy Matthews and Derrick Franklin went down in order to end the game.
West Helena took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning by using a walk , two Patriot errors, a hit batter and an RBI double.
The Patriots answered in the bottom half of the inning when Jared Parker hit a line drive solo home run to center field. Ford singled to left center, was balked to second and scored when West Helena misplayed a ground ball by Matthews leaving the Cougars holding a 3-2 lead.
West Helena added a run in the top of the second to go on top 4-2.
Busby started on the mound for the Patriots and lasted four innings before giving way to DeVille Pickett.
Busby gave up four runs on just two hits and three walks and struck out six. he hit two Cougar batters.
Pickett worked the fifth and sixth innings and gave up the winning run on two hits and two walks while striking out two.
The Patriots scored their four runs on seven hits -- three of those by Ford -- and six walks.
The Patriots return to action on Monday, April 2, when they travel to Gillett for a conference matchup against the Wolves.
The Forrest City Mustangs, weather permitting, will host Osceola today for a varsity/junior varsity game at the Sports Complex.
Game time is set for 4 p.m.
The Mustangs have not played since March 15.
Forrest City is 2-5 overall for the year and 1-1 in the AAAAA-East Conference.
On Thursday, the Mustangs will travel to Brinkley.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
OSCEOLA--The Forrest City Lady Mustangs got a big win Tuesday but very little competition in a 26-1 win over the Osceola Lady Seminoles.
Every Forrest City player, with the exception of one, scored at least two runs in the lop-sided conference victory.
Forrest City improves to 2-3 overall for the year and 2-1 in the conference.
The Lady Mustangs led 3-0 after the first inning and erupted to score 16 runs in the second inning to lead 19-0.
They added seven runs in the third to produce the final score.
Krystal Weaver, Abby Townsend, Jessica Lewis, Kanetra Pendleton and Katie Murry each scored three runs while Rachel Sims, Natalie Nelson, Leslie Jayroe, Jessica Long and Tyeshia McDaniel scored two runs each.
The Lady Mustang JV team had just as easy a time, rolling to a 14-1 win over Osceola's junior varsity.
Sims scored three times to lead Forrest City while Angela Williams, Caronica Randle, Deosha Agnew and McDaniel scored two times each.
The first Lady Mustang Invitational slow-pitch softball tournament will be played Saturday at the Sports Complex.
The Lady Mustangs will play Barton in the opener at 9 a.m. while West Helena and Clarendon will matchup in a first-round game.
Bay and Stuttgart will play at 10:30 and Brookland, taking the place of McCrory in the double-elimination style bracket, will take the field at 10:30 against an opponent to be named.
Brookland was scheduled to play Osceola, which dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS--Monday, the Forrest City Mustangs blew past the competition to win the high school boys' side of the Blue Devil Relays held at West Memphis.
Tuesday, it was the girls' chance to shine.
The Lady Mustangs placed first in three events and scored 70 points to finish third behind West Memphis and Jacksonville.
The Lady Blue Devils won handily scoring 167 points while the Lady Red Devils finished with 126 points in the eight-team field.
"I was very pleased with the effort," said Forrest City Coach Lewis Ethridge. "We're young, with just four seniors, but we're going to be competitive."
Verika Robinson ran to a first-place finish in the 800-meters and won the 1,600-meters as well. Sophomore Tricia Newborn finished sixth in the 800 while Alexandrea Copeland ran second in the 1,600.
Copeland, Nynechia Fleming, Robinson and Chasna House finished first in the 1,600-meter relay event.
The 3,200-meter relay team, comprised of Copeland, Latisha Brooks, Newborn and Robinson finished second while the 400-meter relay team -- Akissi Brooks, Fleming, Stepanie Hancock and House -- ran fourth. The same quartet ran second in the 800-meter relay.
Cammela Long finished fifth in the shot put.
The Lady Mustangs will run at Marion on April 9.
Both the Blue and White Junior Lady Mustang track teams competed Tuesday at West Memphis, but at press time, no results were available.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
HAZEN--Nikki Bass doubled and scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday to lift the Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots past Hazen 6-5 in girls' slow-pitch softball.
The Lady Patriots move to 2-0 for the season and 2-0 in the conference.
Palestine-Wheatley scored their six runs on 12 hits.
"We didn't hit quite as well as we did in our opener Monday at Carlisle," said P-W Coach Beverly Bass. "We played on a short field and I think the girls were trying to play long ball instead of just getting base hits."
Nikki Bass led the Lady Patriots by scoring three runs. Marla Gardner, Tara Beck and Amanda Roberts each scored single runs.
After Bass doubled in the seventh, Libby Martin moved her to third on a long fly ball to right field. Bass scored on a line drive fly out by Amanda Riffle.
Hazen loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but the Lady Patriots worked their way out of the jam to secure the wn.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs remained unbeaten Tuesday in league golf play, using a round of 48 by Sarah Eldridge to turn back Searcy at the Forrest City Country Club.
Eldridge walked away with the medalist honors for the match.
Krista Coleman finished with a round of 54 while Melissa Fogg had a 68 and Hannah Cohn fired a 69.
The Lady Mustangs stand at 6-0 for the year.
Searcy won the boys' match 169-181. Aaron Reid took medalist honors with a 39 to lead the Lions.
Four Forrest City players finished with rounds under 50, led by Brian Hacker's 43. Jake Wade had a 45, Chad Halbert a 46 and Josh Coleman finished at 47.
In JV play, Matt Turner shot a 53 and Kellon Carroll had a 52.
Forrest City will host Jonesboro Thursday in conference play beginning at 3:30 p.m.