By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
HOT SPRINGS -- The Pine Bluff Zebras, for the second straight year, ran away from the field at the Class AAAAA State Track Meet Monday at Hot Springs.
Likewise, the Pine Bluff Fillies dominated the girls' competition.
The Forrest City Mustangs held on to finish 10th overall after a third-place finish a year ago.
Not only was it the second consecutive title, it was the Zebras' fourth in five seasons.
The state meet resumed Monday after being suspended by heavy thunderstorms open Friday.
The Zebras scored 103 points for the win while Little Rock McClellan finished second with 50 points.
The Fillies topped runner-up Fort Smith Northside, 97-68, to capture their first state championship since 1984.
While Pine Bluff hogged the team spotlight, individual honors went to Mountain Home's Eric Gross and McClellan's Tiffany Gunn.
Gross, who has signed with UALR, set an overall record in the 1,600 (4:10.45), breaking the previous record of 4:11.74, set by Brian Baker of Batesville in 1989.
It was a perfect race from Gross, whose 400 splits were 62, 62, 63 and 63.
Gross later pulled out of the 3,200 but he will have another chance to lower his overall mark in Wednesday's Meet of Champs to be held at Lake Hamilton.
Forrest City's Joseph Wilson also qualified for the Meet of Champs after posting a first-place finish in the 400-meter race in a time of 49.44.
The Mustang 800-meter relay team finished third Monday but will have to wait for the official word from the Arkansas Activities Association as to whether or not their time was good enough to qualify for the Meet of Champs.
"We think our time will get us in, but we have to wait for the AAA to review the times from the other classifications to see how ours compares," said Forrest City Mustang Coach Jeff Hudson.
Mustang sprinter Willie Wade ran sixth in the 800-meter race.
Having already signed with Notre Dame, Gunn set a Class AAAAA mark in the 300 low hurdles (44.69) and just missed Dee Brown's overall and Class AAAAA record of 14.44 in the 100 low hurdles. Gunn was an easy winner in 14.49.
Daphne Harris of Texarkana held the previous 300 record (44.84), set in 1996. Gunn also anchored McClellan's winning 1,600 relay team (4:03.74).
Pine Bluff finished 1-2 in the 800 and 1, 2 and 3 in the 200 to pull away from Little Rock McClellan.
Senior Robert McQuay won the 800 in 1:55.95, followed by senior Mario Urquhart, 1:56.45.
After winning the 100 in 10.95, senior Cedric Taggert claimed the 200 in 22.18. Senior Andreas Williams finished third in the 200 (22.18).
The Zebras also won the 800 relay and 1,600 relay.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Fred's moved to 2-0 for the year Monday and tied Planter's Bank for the early Junior Babe Ruth lead.
Planter's was idle Monday night.
Fred's never got past the first inning Monday in a 19-0 win over the VIPs.
The VIPs went down in order in the top of the first inning before Fred's erupted for the 19 runs in the bottom of the first, prompting VIP coach Robert Lee to call the game.
Terrance Ware pitched for Fred's and recorded two strike outs while facing just three VIP hitters.
Fred Walker scored three times for Fred's and drove in two runs while Ware, Justin McKissick, Milton Joyner, Chris Autry, Kevin Padilla, Ramsey Gibson, Brad Moore and Carl Brown each scored twice.
Joyner, Autry and McKissick all hit home runs in the inning.
Freeman's 16, Ridout Lumber 9
Freeman's put its first win of the year in the books Monday with a 16-9 win over Ridout Lumber and they did it with just seven players in the lineup.
Stephon Weaver led Freeman's by scoring four runs and Dex Powell and Dexter Freeman chipped in with three runs each.
Freeman also homered in the game.
Lafayette Smith and Adam Kennedy scored twice for Ridout.
Smith hit a three-run, home run in the second inning and added a solo shot in the fourth while Kennedy drilled a solo homer in the third inning.
Freeman's took a 9-0 lead in the top of the first inning and added six more runs in the second before Ridout plated five runs in the bottom of the second.
Powell and Weaver combined for the Freeman's pitching duties while Taurus Moore, Casiday Hankins and Princeton Davis took the mound for Ridout.
Hunton Office 15, Houser's 4
Kenyatae Chism scored three times Monday to lead Hunton Office Supply past Houser's 15-4.
Hunton improves to 2-1 for the year while Houser's falls to 0-3.
Kerry Evans, Avian Wright and Travis Holloway each scored two runs for the winners..
Houser's got runs from Jimmy Aldridge, Cedrix Parker and Michael Powell.
Junior Babe Ruth action will resume on Thursday when Planter's Bank will face off against Hunton and Fred's will take on Ridout Lumber, both games beginning at 6 p.m.
Houser's and the VIPs will meet in the late game.
Freeman's will have an open date Thursday.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Kerby's held Food Giant scoreless in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings Monday night to preserve a 12-10 win Men's Adult League Softball.
Kerby's scored two runs in the top of the sixth to break a 10-10 tie and then turned defensive by not allowing a Food Giant base runner in each of the team's final two at-bats.
In other men's games, Poison defeated Patton and Taylor 16-15 by scoring five times in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the come-from-behind win.
Sanyo put away Forrest City 11-6; Elite Security pounded Boar's Head 19-6 and SSA defeated Miller Insurance 19-14.
In women's adult league play, the Odd Sox downed Clark Appraisals 11-5; Purple Haze ran past Supercenter Stars 21-3 and Chism Concrete continued their winning ways with a 13-6 win over First National Bank.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Mulay stayed unbeaten in Bambino (9-10) League Monday night by edging Pearson Insurance 6-3.
Mulay scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and one run in the second to open a 4-0 lead.
Pearson Insurance pushed three runs across the plate in the top of the third to cut Mulay's lead to one run.
Mulay added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Jim Bailey scored twice for Mulay.
C.R. Sand, idle Monday, is also 2-0 in the league.
Food Giant 9, Napa 7
Food Giant picked up their first win of the year Monday with a 9-7 victory over previously unbeaten Napa.
Food Giant scored four times in the bottom of the first inning to lead 4-2.
Napa regained the advantage with four runs in the top of the second to lead 6-4 before Food Giant added three runs in their half of the inning to lead 7-6.
Title Company 12, Farm Credit 4
Deonte Harris hit a first-inning home run and scored three times to help lead Title Company past Farm Credit 12-4 Monday night.
Mark Machen and Chris Jacobs added two runs each for the winners.
Farm Credit got single runs from KeMario Tucker, Jerome McDaniel, Tanner Clark and Chris Smith.
Sanyo 10, McDonald's 8
Sanyo improved to 2-1 in the league Monday and got two runs each from Baker Aldridge, Doug Ferguson, and Desmond Pigue in a 10-8 win over McDonald's.
Aldridge hit a pair of home runs for Sanyo.
Lee Smith and Cameron Huff scored two runs each for McDonald's.
Caleb Talley hit a home run for McDonald's.
The Bambino (11-12) League will play tonight, beginning at 6 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Taylor-Casbeer moved to 4-0 for the year Monday behind a 17-4 win over Mr. T. Auto in Minor League play at the Sports Complex.
However, it took Taylor-Casbeer until the fifth inning to heat up.
Holding onto a 5-2 lead headed into the top of the fifth, Taylor-Casbeer plated five runs to extend their lead to 10-2 and added seven final runs in the sixth.
Charles Anderson led the winners by scoring three times while Josh Brock, Zach Trail, Trent Neely and Josh Rogers scored two runs each.
Devin Green, Davyon McKinney and Anthony Guyton scored single runs for Mr. T.
Easley Law 10, Dr. Beasley 9
Trailing 9-7, Easley Law scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday to pick up their first win of the season.
Dr. Beasley scored first with a pair of first inning runs before Easley got three in the bottom of the first to lead 3-2.
Easley added a single run in the second to lead 4-2 before Beasley got back within one run in the third inning.
A single fourth-inning run by Beasley tied the game at 4-4 before Easley plated three runs in the bottom of the inning to regain a 7-4 cushion.
Dr. Beasley's five runs sixth put them in front 9-7.
Caleb Sugg, Kendall Lee, Kevin Sullivan and Chance Vaughn scored two times for Beasley while Brodie Johnson scored a single run.
James Pendergrass scored three runs for Easley Law Firm while Devante Mitchell and Sam Bailey added two runs each.