By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
MAUMELLE -- The Forrest City nine-year-old All-Stars are alive and well in the Cal Ripken State Tournament being played at Maumelle -- despite the fact they are playing from the loser's bracket.
The nine-year-olds, coached by Scott Deere, are scheduled to play either Star City or DeWitt today at 4 p.m. A win brings the team back at 8 p.m. for a second game.
Forrest City will have to win both games today to get into Tuesday's finals.
Thirty teams began tournament play Friday, including Forrest City, which took a 10-3 win over Monticello.
Akeem Bogard picked up the pitching victory and helped his own cause with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
On Saturday, Marion knocked Forrrest City into the loser's bracket by taking a 6-2 win.
"We just didn't hit the ball against Marion," Deere said. "Leslie Parker pitched well for us but we didn't give him any offensive support."
The 9's rebounded on Sunday to defeat Sheridan 4-3 and Pine Bluff International 12-5.
Cory Deere got the pitching decision over Pine Bluff International, going five innings.
Forrest City used a six-run, fourth inning to put away International.
Forrest City pitching has proven itself sturdy during the tournament recording 10 strikeouts against Monticello, nine against Marion and 10 each against Sheridan and Pine Bluff.
The Forrest City 13-year-old All-Stars are hanging tough at the District 7 Cal Ripken Tournament, being played at Pine Bluff.
Sunday night, Forrest City defeated Pine Bluff Northern 8-5 to advance to tonight's loser's semifinal game at 8 p.m.
Forrest City will play either Pine Bluff Junior or White Hall, the team that put Forrest City into the loser's bracket on Saturday.
White downed Forrest City 5-1.
Forrest City opened Friday with a whopping 17-6 win over PB Northern after ending regulation tied at 4-4.
Forrest City scored 13 runs in the eighth inning.
Following the loss to White Hall, Forrest City defeated Wynne 9-8 before taking Northern Sunday night.
Pine Bluff Junior and White Hall meet in the winner's semifinal game today at 6 p.m.
The championship game will be played Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Should Forrest City reach the title game, the team would have to win twice Tuesday to win the district championship.
The Forrest City 15-year-old All-Stars lost twice at the District 7 Tournament in Pine Bluff, losing to Pine Bluff Junior Friday and then being eliminated from the tournament on Saturday.
It was the first time in two years that Forrest City has fielded a 15-year-old All-Star team.
The 15s entered district tournament play after winning the Jonesboro Jamboree tournament played the last weekend in June.
The 14-year-old Forrest City All-Stars were eliminated from district tournament this weekend as well.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
After a pulsating come-from-behind win over Des Arc Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the Fireball Classic Tournament, the Forrest City 11-year-old All-Stars failed to repeat the effort in the championship game against Wynne.
The 11's are scheduled to open state tournament play later this week at El Dorado.
The Forrest City 2 team also finished second in the 10-year-old bracket, losing to Jonesboro Braves in the finals 10-0.
Jonesboro defeated Marion, and Forrest City 2 defeated West Memphis 8-5 in semifinal action on Sunday.
Forrest City 2 lost to West Memphis Friday and Marion on Saturday.
Trailing Des Arc 9-6 going into the top of the sixth inning in the semifinal game, the Forrest City 11s scored four runs to take a 10-9 lead and then held Des Arc scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to take the win that vaulted the team into the championship game.
Barrett Beshears made the biggest defensive play of the game in the bottom of the sixth when he ran down a fly ball just short of the right field fence for the second out of the inning, turned and got the ball back into the infield holding Des Arc's potential game-tying run at third base.
Saturday night, in the final game of pool play, Forrest City had beaten Des Arc 16-2.
Wynne downed Southaven, Miss., 5-4 in seven innings in Sunday's other semifinal game to set up the title game against Forrest City. Southaven made the semifinal cut after the Jonesboro American team forfeited out of the tournament due to ineligible players.
Wynne jumped out to an 8-0 lead after one inning before Forrest City scored a single run in the third and rallied for six runs in the fifth before falling just short in the 9-7 loss.
The loss to Wynne in the championship game was the second of the tournament for Forrest City, who lost to the same Wynne team in Saturday's opening game, 4-2.
Forrest City rebounded to beat Southaven, Miss., 15-0 in three innings and Des Arc 16-2 Saturday afternoon.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Arkansas Junior Olympic girls' 14-under 'C' class slow-pitch state softball tournament will be played Friday through Sunday, July 12-14, at Forrest City's Sports Complex.
Sixteen teams are entered into the double elimination style bracket.
Forrest City does not have an entry into the tournament, but Wynne has two teams in the competition -- Carter Trucking and Backstreet Florist.
Other teams include the Twisters from North Little Rock, the Money Misers from Corning, the Lady Outlaws from Siloam Springs, Greenwood's Blue Heat, Mablevale's Lady Red Hots, the West Memphis PC Babes, Jacksonville's Rockers and Fort Smith's Diamond Dazzlers.
* YOUTH BASEBALL
FIREBALL JAMBOREE TOURNAMENT
at the Sports Complex, Forrest City
10-Year-Old Bracket
Friday's Results
West Memphis defeated Forrest City 2
Jonesboro Braves 3, Lucas Trucking 1
Marion defeated Jonesboro
Saturday's Results
West Memphis defeated Lucas Trucking
West Memphis defeated Jonesboro Braves
Marion defeated Forrest City 2
Forrest City 2 defeated Jonesboro
Marion defeated Jonesboro Braves
Sunday's Semifinal Results
Forrest City 2 8, West Memphis 5
Jonesboro Braves defeated Marion
Championship Game
Jonesboro Braves 10, Forrest City 2 0
11-Year-Old Bracket
Saturday's Results
Wynne 4, Forrest City 2
Des Arc 11, Southaven, Miss. 3
Wynne 10, Southaven, Miss. 0
Des Arc 12, Jonesboro 10 (8 innings)
Forrest City 15 Southaven, Miss. 0 (3 innings)
Wynne defeated Jonesboro
Forrest City 16, Des Arc 2
Sunday's Results
Semifinal Games
Forrest City 10, Des Arc 9
Wynne 5, Southaven, Miss. 4 (7 innings)
Championship Game
Wynne 9, Forrest City 7
GIRLS SOFTBALL
10-Under League
Monday, July 8
McDonald's vs Walker Ins., 6 p.m. F1
FCity Bank vs Steven's, 6 p.m. F2
Food Giant vs So. Furniture, 6 p.m. F3
True Value vs Dr. Schwartz, 6 p.m. F4
Sanyo vs Title Company, 7 p.m. F2
Tuesday, July 9
Walker Ins. vs FCity Bank, 6 p.m. F1
Sanyo vs Food Giant, 6 p.m. F3
So. Furniture vs Steven's, 6 p.m. F4
True Value vs McDonald's, 7 p.m. F1
Dr. Schwartz vs Title Company, 8 p.m. F1
(End Regular Season)