By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It was a matter of not having enough pitching for Forrest City Mustang baseball coach Reggie Murphy Saturday.
After losing to West Memphis 10-3 Thursday in 10 innings (and four pitchers) the Mustangs bounced back Friday afternoon to shut out Osceola 8-0.
In that matchup, Marcus Hancock took the mound and held the Seminoles scoreless while scattering two harmless hits and allowing two walks. He fanned 10.
After building a 2-0 lead, the Mustangs finished the deal by scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Brandon Cochran and Danny Flowers each scored twice in the game while Devin McLaurin, Desmond Golatt, Taylor and Hancock each scored single runs.
On Saturday, against Searcy, the Mustangs fell 15-1.
The Mustangs again called on four pitchers, beginning with Brad Taylor, who lasted two-plus innings, Casiday Crossen, Robert Austell and Flowers.
The four Mustang hurlers combined to give up the 15 Searcy runs on nine hits and seven walks while striking out just four Searcy hitters.
Meanwhile Searcy's Whitt Rogers breezed through five innings to get the win. holding the Mustangs to two hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Searcy scored in the top of the first before the Mustangs tied the game at 1-1 in the second when Hancock scored on an RBI double by Taylor.
The Lions put the game away in the top of the third scoring nine runs on five hits.
They added another run in the fourth and four runs in the fifth.
The Mustangs fall to 2-4 for the year. The team is scheduled to play Blytheville in a AAAAA-East Conference game Tuesday, weather permitting.
*The Hughes Blue Devils opened the school's first-ever baseball season with a convincing 36-2 win over Turrell on Friday.
The game was called in the second inning.
Eric Scarbrough was the winning pitcher and helped his own cause with a grand slam home run and scoring five times.
Adam Steele homered and scored two runs while Alex Chamness scored five runs.
The Blue Devils will play at Barton on Thursday, weather permitting.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs took on Sylvan Hills last Thursday in conference fast-pitch action.
The Lady Bears used a five-run fourth inning to take a 10-5 win over the Lady Mustangs.
Forrest City slips to 2-4 for the year and 0-4 in the league.
Kimberly Hoots walked and scored while Jennifer Ballard scored two runs. Rachel Sims cracked an inside-the-park home run in a four-run fourth inning for Forrest City.
The Lady Mustangs' scheduled game at Jonesboro today has been cancelled and will be made up at a later date.
The Hughes Lady Blue Devils opened their first-ever season of girls' softball last Thursday by losing a doubleheader to Cross County.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS -- It was only a practice track meet Friday at West Memphis, but Forrest City Lady Mustang coach Lewis Etheridge liked what he saw from his "very young team."
The Lady Mustangs took two firsts in the relays and firsts in the shot and discus as well as plenty of second-place finishes.
Etheridge has just one senior on the squad -- Deosha Agnew -- and several sophomores.
"We're young, but we will be competitive this season," Etheridge said. "This group will only get better as the season progresses."
Agnew's best finish was second in the high jump followed by teammate Nadia Austin, who was third.
Emily Harris won both the shot (27 feet, 9 1/2 inches) and the discus (80 feet, 11 inches).
The Lady Mustang 400-meter relay team (Chasna House, Melissa Humphrey, Shianekia Blunt and Jessica Perkins) ran to a first-place finish in a time of 52.39.
The 800-meter relay team (House, Blunt, Perkins and Austin) finished first in a time of 1:57.13.
The 1,600-meter relay team (Glenishia Williams, Meghan Huett, Chikisha McDaniel and House) finished second and the 3,200-meter "A" relay team (Shana Burgess, Nicole Bennett, Ashley Bowers and Jessica McDaniel) finished third and the "B" team (Amanda Rinegar, Rachel Sims, Sarah Bennett and Chawntay Ballard) ran fourth.
Blunt was second in the long jump while House finished third, Perkins fourth and Agnew ran fifth.
House ran third in the 100-meter dash and Blunt was third; Perkins ran second in the 200-meter dash while Melissa Humphrey was third and Williams was sixth; C. McDaniel ran fourth in the 400-meter run with Huett running fifth and Jessica McDaniel placing third in the 800-meter.
Sarah Bennett was fourth in the 3,200-meter run and Bowers was sixth.
Today's Patriot Relays at Marion has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 9.
The Forrest City Mustangs meet set for Tuesday, March 19, has been cancelled.
The Mustangs ran at the West Memphis practice meet on Friday, but as of press time, results were still unavailable.
The Forrest City junior high track teams were scheduled to run Tuesday at Marion but have been rained out.
WEST MEMPHIS -- The West Memphis Blue Devil golf team took a 167-185 win over Forrest City Thursday in conference play.
Jordan Payne's round of 35 was good enough for medalist honors.
Jake Wade led Forrest City with a 44 while Chad Halbert finished with a 45.
Forrest City's Sarah Eldridge played the course with the boys, since West Memphis did not field a girls' team.
She finished with a 50 for the round.
Drew Williams shot a 60 to edge Forrest City's John Scott Carroll and Klint Kowen in JV play.
* PREP SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Thursday's Score
West Memphis 10 Forrest City 3 (10 innings)
Gillett at Palestine-Wheatley - Cancelled
Friday's Scores
Hughes 36, Turrell 2
Forrest City 8, Osceola 0
Saturday's Score
Searcy 15, Forrest City 1
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
Thursday's Score
West Memphis 167, Forrest City 185 (Boys)
Monday, March 18
West Memphis at Forrest City - Cancelled
GIRLS SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday's Scores
Cross County defeated Hughes
GIRLS FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday's Scores
Sylvan Hills 10, Forrest City 5
Monday, March 18
Forrest City at Jonesboro - Cancelled