BY FRED CONLEY
The state's best high school baseball and softball teams will gather at Fayetteville Saturday to decide state championships.
Twenty-two teams will make the trip to the Ozarks with just one thing on their minds -- to be the best.
Thus begins the third annual "Day of Champions."
One day, 11 state champions will be crowned in baseball, fast-pitch softball and slow-pitch softball.
All of the teams will be treated to a "get-acquainted" banquet and other activities tonight at Baum Stadium.
More than 80 adult volunteers will help run the baseball tournament at Baum Stadium, the fast-pitch tournament at Lady'Back Yard and the slow-pitch championship games at the Lake Fayetteville Softball Complex.
And that doesn't even begin to include all the kids who will be busy shagging balls and selling programs.
Fayetteville's success with this day is a big reason that the city has been selected to host the state high school all-star games in 2002.
Here is the complete schedule for Saturday's championship format.
Championship Baseball Games at Baum Stadium
*Class A
Scranton vs. Taylor, 9 a.m.
*Class AA
Rector vs. Lavaca, 11:40 a.m.
*Class AAA
Central Arkansas Christian vs. Booneville, 2:20 p.m.
*Class AAAA
Nettleton vs. Malvern, 4:30 p.m.
*Class AAAAA
Pine Bluff vs. Russellville, 7:10 p.m.
Championship Fast-Pitch Softball Games at Lady'Back Yard
*Class AA
Newark vs. Wonderview, 9 a.m.
*Class AAA
Prairie Grove vs. Farmington, 11 a.m.
*Class AAAA
Vilonia vs. Batesville, 1 p.m.
*Class AAAAA
Benton vs. North Little Rock, 3 p.m.
Championship Slow-Pitch Softball Games at Lake Fayetteville Complex
*Class A
Ouachita vs. Mt. Vernon, 9 a.m.
*Class AAAAA
Sylvan Hills vs. Parker's Chapel, 10:30 a.m.
A. D. Burk of Palestine hit a hole-in-one Thursday while playing at the Brinkley Country Club.
Burk was on the course with Ken and Joyce Files when he aced the No. 2 hole, a par 3, 135-yard shot using an 8-iron.
It is Burk's first hole-in-one since he started playing the game four years ago upon his retirement.
Moro's Mandy Myers did not play in either game Thursday for Long Island University in a scheduled doubleheader NCAA Tournament "play-in game" against Lehigh.
Lehigh won the first game 3-1 and LIU came back to take the second game 4-2.
The two teams will meet again today in the rubber game of the best 2-of-3 match.
Once again, just a reminder.
All Forrest City girls' softball league coaches are encouraged to attend tonight's coaches meeting at the high school athletic complex from 7 until 10 p.m.
The clinic is free of charge.
For that reason, tonight's schedule of softball games at the Sports Complex has been cancelled.
The youth boys' games will be played as scheduled tonight.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
HOT SPRINGS -- The Class AAAAA State Track Meet will be held today at Hot Springs.
The field events begin at 4 p.m. and the running events start at 7 p.m.
Last Friday at the state prelims in Russellville, Forrest City qualified two sprinters and two relay teams.
A year ago, at Mountain Home, the Mustangs finished third.
Joseph Wilson ran a 49.43 in the 400-meter race to qualify for today's state meet while Willie Wade ran the 800-meter run in 2:00.90 to qualify.
The 800-meter relay team finished eighth to get in under the wire at the state tournament. The relay team is made up of Floyd Shivers, Travis Hurst and Evan Haggins.
The fourth spot is usually filled by Daniel Echols, who has been fighting through season-long injuries. If Echols is unable to run, his leg will be filled by Wade.
The Mustang 1,600-meter relay team also qualified. Wilson, Haggins, Wade and Jesse Ballard make up the mile relay team.
The Mustangs, after winning the AAAAA-East conference championship three consecutive years, finished third at the conference meet this season.
In the girls' side of the championships, Forrest City senior Verika Robinson was the only Lady Mustang to qualify for the state tournament, running a 5:53.62 in the 1,600-meter run to finish sixth.
Also on tap today at Hot Springs will be the Class AAA State Meet and the Class AAAA State Meet.
Fort Smith Christian won the Class A boys' state title Thursday while Delaplaine won the Class A girls' title.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The wait may have helped.
Fred's, formerly East Arkansas Jaycees, finally opened the Junior Babe Ruth season Thursday with a big 18-3 win over Houser's.
Fred's had an open date on May 3, when the rest of the league opened and Monday was a rainout, giving Fred's seven extra days to prepare.
They didn't waste anytime, scoring six times in the top of the first inning using three hits and one walk.
Houser's scored twice in the bottom of the first but it was Fred's the rest of the game scoring five times in the second inning, twice in the third and five times in the fourth.
Terrence Ware crossed home plate four times while Justin McKissick scored three times. Fred Walker, Milton Joyner, Chris Autry, Ramsey Gibson and Kevin Padilla scored two runs each.
Joyner started and worked the first two innings before giving way to Walker, who finished up.Joyner and Walker combined to hold Houser's to the three runs on one hit and three walks.
Robert Austill tripled and scored in the fourth. Cedrix Parker and Jeremy Holmes scored Houser's two first inning runs.
Planter's Bank 5, Ridout 3
Desmond Golatt fired a four-hitter Thursday and scored a pair of runs to help lead Planter's Bank past Ridout Lumber 5-3 in Junior Babe Ruth.
Golatt recorded 15 strikeouts for Planter's. He retired the final 12 Ridout hitters he faced to end the game.
Ridout scored first in the top of the first when Princeton Davis singled and scored. Kyle Smith walked and Golatt singled in the bottom half of the inning. Both scored to put Planter's in front 2-1.
Ridout regained a 3-2 lead with a pair of fourth inning runs when Ben Daugherty tripled and scored on Adam Kennedy's RBI single. Kennedy scored later in the inning.
Planter's plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead 4-3 when Devin McLaurin and Golatt each scored.
Planter's added an insurance run from Jamar Williams in the bottom of the sixth.
Hunton 8, Freeman's 5
Hunton Office Supply picked up its first win of the year Thursday by holding off Freeman's 8-5.
Hunton took an early 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first.
Freeman's tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the second inning when Dexery Powell, Peter McKisick and Charles Freeman each scored.
Hunton regained a 4-3 lead with a single run in the bottom of the inning.
Hunton added two more runs in the bottom of the third when Kareem Sanders walked with two outs and scored on Kerry Evans' two-run home run to make it 6-3 Hunton.
Freeman's plated two runs in the top of the fourth to cut Hunton's lead to 6-5 but Hunton closed out the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning to set the final.
Travis Holloway led Hunton with two runs while Charles Freeman scored twice for Freeman's. Powell pitched for Freeman's while Holloway worked the complete game for Hunton.
Planter's Bank leads the Junior Babe Ruth league at 2-0 while Fred's and VIPs are 1-0 for the year.
The league will return to action on Monday, May 14.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
In the first three games of the season, Taylor-Casbeer has outscored its opponents 37-6, winning 11-4, 15-2 and 11-0 Thursday against Dr. Beasley in Minor League action.
Brian Morgan and Zach Trail each scored three runs Thursday to pace the Taylor-Casbeer offensive attack.
Josh Brock added two runs while Akeem Bogart, Ladarius Townsend and Scott Bryant scored single runs.
Chance Vaughn and Kendall Lee got the only two hits for Dr. Beasley.
Trail homered in the second inning for Taylor-Casbeer.
Joey's Muffler 12, Farm Bureau 8
Larry Smith scored four runs Thursday night on two singles, a double and a home run to push Joey's Muffler by Farm Bureau 12-8.
Farm Bureau led 3-1 after one inning and 7-2 before Joey's scored five times in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 7-7.
Joey's took a 10-7 lead in the bottom of the fourth and added two more runs in the fifth.
Justin Strong, Matthew Vaughn and Daniel Davenport scored two runs each for Joey's.
Will Whittenton led Farm Bureau by scoring three times while Corey Nelson and A.J. Martin scored twice.
Farm Bureau will be back on the field tonight at 6 p.m. when they take on M&T Paving.
Joey's will play Lion's Club at 7:30 p.m.
Forrest City's Arkansas Concrete will open play tonight in the Sonic Slam USSSA 10-year-old tournament at Southaven, Miss., featuring 16 teams from five states.
Concrete will face the North Alabam Vipers at 9 p.m. on Field 4 to start pool play.
The Vipers are the second-ranked team in the nation.
Saturday, Concrete will face the Mid South Dodgers (Germantown, Tenn.) at 11 a.m. and Team Pepsi (Bartlett, Tenn.) at 7:30 p.m.
The Wynne Yellowjackets are also involved in the tournament and open tonight at 7:15 p.m., against the Cordova Wolves.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
C.R. Sand broke a 5-5 tie by scoring a single run in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday to take a 6-5 win over Food Giant in Bambino (9-10) League play.
Barrett Astin singled and scored the game-winning run.
Nathan Jefferson, Andrew Atkins and Astin each scored two runs for C.R. Sand.
C.R. Sand led 3-0 before Food Giant scored twice in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-2. and tied the game with a single run in the top of the fifth.
C.R. Sand, 2-0 for the year, pushed two runs across in the bottom half of the inning to regain a 5-3 lead, but Food Giant tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run sixth inning.
Food Giant got single runs from Findley Scott Laws, Raymond Patillo, Justin Cook, Zach Hoskins and Rich Jayroe.
Napa 13, Farm Credit 12
Napa scored five runs in the first inning and six runs in the second to take an 11-4 lead over Farm Credit Thursday.
Farm Credit battled back with four runs in the third to cut the lead to 12-8 and came up just short with four runs in the fourth.
Barrett Beshears scored three runs and slugged a pair of home runs for Napa while Josh Taylor, Caleb Davidson and Thurlo Ward scored two runs each.
Chris Smith led Farm Credit by scoring three times while Harrison Hargraves, Jerome McDaniel and Kenneth Smith added two runs each. Smith clubbed two home runs.
Title Company 9, McDonald's 2
Josh Davis scored three runs to help push Title Company past McDonald's 9-2 Thursday.
Turner Norsworthy and Mark Machen scored two runs each. Chris Hunter homered for the winners.
Sanyo 15, Pearson 3
Doug Ferguson scored three runs to lead Sanyo Thursday night.
Baker Aldridge, Jon-Erick Anderson, Tom Bryant and Devonte Lockett scored two runs each.
Aldridge homered in third inning.
Pearson got single runs from Jeffrey Lopez, Alexander Dulaney and Bakari Norman.
Dulaney hit a home run in the fourth inning.