By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Jonesboro Hurricane exploded for eight run in the top of the fourth inning to put away Forrest City's Mustangs 16-2 in five innings in AAAAA-East conference action Tuesday at the Sports Complex.
Mustang Head Coach Reggie Murphy shuffled his starting line up and sent one freshman, five sophomores, three juniors and one senior against Jonesboro.
The lone Mustang senior was starting pitcher Brandon Cochran.
Matt Byrd went the distance for Jonesboro, 14-13 overall and 6-6 in the conference, giving up the two Forrest City runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five Mustangs.
Freshman D.J. Banks had two of Forrest City's four hits (both singles) while juniors Danny Flowers and Jimmy Aldridge had one hit each.
The Mustangs plated both runs in the bottom of the fourth trailing 12-0 when Cannon McNair, another freshman, walked and scored and Aldridge singled and crossed the plate on an RBI single by Banks.
Jonesboro scored three runs in the top of the first and added one in the third before exploding for the eight run, fourth inning using four hits and three walks. Aaron Pyle's bases-clearing double highlighted the inning.
Jonesboro pounded out 12 hits off three Forrest City pitchers, led by Andy Bettis who scored three times, had three hits and drove in three runs.
Cochran started and went three innings giving up four runs on four hits and three walks.
Dustin Gore came on in the top of the third with no outs and gave up six runs on four hits and three walks before sophomore Fred Walker took over in the top of the fourth giving up the final six runs on four hits.
The Mustangs fall to 4-15 overall and remain winless in the conference at 0-12 with two games remaining -- a doubleheader varsity conference game on Tuesday, April 30, at Cabot.
Friday's home nonconference game against Marion has been cancelled.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS -- The Jonesboro Annie Camp Junior Lady Whirlwinds used six first-place finishes by Katya Kostetskaya to win their sixth straight AAAAA-East conference track championship Tuesday at West Memphis.
Annie Camp's junior boys made it a sweep by edging Jonesboro MacArthur by three points, 106-to-103.
The Forrest City Blue Junior Mustangs held on to finish fourth, scoring 76 points, their best effort of the season. The White Junior Mustangs finished eighth.
The Blue Mustangs picked up five, first-place finishes.
In the field events, LaCody Braddock won the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches) while Charles Freeman was ninth.
Terrance Ware was third in the long jump (19 feet) and Otha Hill finished fourth in the shot put for the White Mustangs (41 feet, 10 inches).
Blue Mustang Cory Embry missed the high point award by a single point, finishing with 25. Embry won both the 100 (11.45) and 200-meter (24.36) dashes.
Ware finished fifth in the 100 and White team sprinter Cedric Johnson ran sixth.
Braddock ran third in the 200-meter and Ware finished fourth while Johnson ran sixth.
Chris Barrett of Forrest City White ran seventh in the 400-meter dash while the Blue team's Greg Watson finished 10th and Tracey Bean ran 11th.
The Forrest City Blue 400-meter relay team (Embry, Braddock, Angelo Banks and Terrance Ware) ran to a first-place finish (47.74) while the same four ran first in the 800-meter relay (1:39.09).
The White team finished seventh in the 400-meter relay and fifth in the 800-meter relay and in the mile relay.
The Blue Mustangs finished fourth in the mile relay (Bean, Watson, Marcus Cole and Barrett) and ran fourth in the two-mile relay using (Charles Freeman, Josh Freeman, Ronnie Armstrong and Cole).
"It was a good way to end the season," said Blue Mustang Coach Rich Trail. "Our sprinters did well and we were okay in the field events. The 76 points was our high total for the season."
Eric Guzman picked up three first-place finishes to lead the Whirlwinds.
In the girls' competition, Kostetskaya finished with 52 1/2 points to lead the Lady Whirlwinds to a convincing win. The Lady Whirlwinds scored 221 points to second-place MacArthur's 97 points.
The Russian won the long jump (17 feet, 5 inches); the 100-meter hurdles (15.39); the 100, 200 and 400-meter runs as well as anchoring the mile relay team for a first-place finish.
Teammate Lauren Hall had three first place finishes while Annie Camp's Ellen Duke won the pole vault and Jasmin Webb won the shot.
The Forrest City White Junior Lady Mustangs finished fifth at the meet with 20 points.
in the field events, Whitney Lowe finished sixth in the long jump (14 feet, 8 inches) while Donna McKnight was third in the discus with a toss of 68 feet, five inches.
Nivia Hamilton finished 12th in the 200-meter dash and ninth in the 400-meter dash behind teammate Tasha Mills. Marsha James ran 14th.
Kandace Ivory ran eighth in the 800-meter run.
Tasha Howard ran fifth in the mile run and Shenika Howard finished fifth in the 100-meter low hurdles.
The White relay teams ran forth in the 400 and 800-meter events and sixth in the mile.
The Blue Junior Lady Mustangs finished eighth at the meet.
Aviva Williams ran 14th in the 200-meter dash while teammate Rishonda Deans was 16th and Torrie Willis was 17th.
Amber Williams ran sixth in the 400-meter dash while Fahreeda Washington ran 11th and Whitney Warrior finished 19th.
The Blue girls ran fifth in the 400-meter relay and fifth in the 800-meter relay.
Willis placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 27 feet, three inches.
The Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots know who their opening-round opponent will be at the Region 6 Fast Pitch Tournament on Saturday.
The Hughes Lady Blue Devils know when they are playing in their regional, they have to wait one more day to know who.
Palestine-Wheatley, the No. 4 seed from District 6, will play Guy-Perkins Saturday, at 10 a.m., at Burns Park in North Little Rock.
Guy-Perkins in the No. 1 seed from District 5.
A win brings the Lady Patriots back for a semifinal game at 2 p.m., against the Gillett-Arkansas Baptist winner.
The regional tournament finals will be played Monday at 7 p.m.
The top two teams from the regional will advance to the Class A-AA State fast Pitch Tournament, which will be played at Sherwood.
The Lady Blue Devils, the No. 3 seed from District 6, will play at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, in the Region 2 Slow Pitch Tournament, at Augusta against the No. 2 seeded team from the 2-South.
If Hughes, in their first full season of softball, can pick up a first-round win, the Lady Blue Devils would return at 5:30 p.m., Saturday for a semifinal game.
The tournament finals will be played Monday at 4 p.m.
The top two teams from the regional advance to the State Slow Pitch Tournament.
* PREP FOOTBALL
FAST PITCH SOFTBALL
Monday's Scores
Blytheville 14, Forrest City 4
A-AA District Tournament
Palestine-Wheatley 15, Humphrey 0
Woodlawn 9, Palestine-Wheatley 4
Thursday, April 25
West Memphis at Forrest City, 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
Region 6 Tournament at Burns Park, NLR
Guy-Perkins vs P-W, 10 a.m., Field 1
Gillett vs Arkansas Baptist, 10 a.m., Field 2
Woodlawn vs Conway St. Joseph, 11:45 a.m.
PBluff St. Joe vs Hazen, 11:45 a.m.
SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
Saturday, April 27
District 2 Slow Pitch Tournament at Augusta
W2S vs Osceola, 10 a.m.
Clarendon vs 3rd2S, 11:30 a.m.
West Helena vs 4th2S, 1 p.m.
Hughes vs 2nd2S, 2:30 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Monday's Score
Blytheville 10, Forrest City 5
Tuesday, April 23
Jonesboro 16, Forrest City 2
Friday, April 26
Maron at Forrest City - Cancelled