By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
JACKSONVILLE -- The Jacksonville Lady Red Devils, now in their third season of fast-pitch softball, offered up a lesson to the Forrest City Lady Mustangs Thursday.
Forrest City is playing their first full season of fast-pitch softball.
It didn't take long for Forrest City Coach Amber Main to realize the difference -- experience and plenty of it.
Jacksonville has been in the top four state-wide as well as conference champs and conference runners-up.
The Lady Red Devils, playing their first game of the year, put up 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning and rolled on to a 16-1 win over the Lady Mustangs.
Forrest City's lone run came in the top of the fourth when Alicia Williams tripled and scored on a base hit by Kimberly Hoots.
Aside from a lead-off walk issued to Stacey Gracey in the first and a walk to Jessica Lewis in the third, Williams and Hoots were the only other Forrest City players to reach base.
Jacksonville added six runs in the bottom of the third to end the game under the 15 runs after three inning rule.
Jacksonville pitcher Misty Morehart allowed only the one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six Lady Mustangs.
Kathy Caldwell and Terise Williams each plated three runs to lead Jacksonville while Rachel Townsend and Morehart added two runs each.
Gracey, a freshman, started on the mound for the Lady Mustangs.
The Lady Mustangs fall to 2-2 for the year and 0-2 in the AAAAA-East.
Forrest City returns to action Monday, March 11, when they host Cabot for a AAAAA-East Conference game at the Sports Complex.
Game time will be 5 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST HELENA -- It was only a practice meet, but Forrest City Mustang track coach Jeff Hudson was pleased with the results.
The Mustangs made the trip to West Helena Thursday for a practice meet against the host Cougars and Tunica, Miss.
Although no official times were kept at the meet, Hudson's Mustangs picked up eight first-place finishes, three seconds and three thirds.
As expected, it was the experienced Mustang relay teams and sprinters that paid the biggest dividends.
All four Forrest City relay teams picked up first place finishes.
Seniors Willie Wade, Jesse Ballard and Montrell Ashcraft provided the leadership on the track.
Wade and Ballard combined with Justin Jones and Kelton Hamlin for a win in the 3,200-meter relay while Daniel Echols, Lafayette Smith, Ashcraft and Chevelle Wilson ran to first in the 400-meter relay.
Echols Smith and Wilson returned to join Dontae Nash for a win in the 800-meter relay and Wade, Ballard, Echols and Wilson combined to bring home the win in the 1,600-meter event.
The Forrest City JV relay teams ran third as Lee Bonner, Quinton Thomas, Roosevelt Lattimore and Brian Smith made up the 3,200-meter team; Nash, Derrick Brown, Demond Thomas and Wade made up the 400-meter team and Jones, Andrew Embrey, Hamlin and Nash ran in the 1,600-meter.
Smith won the 100-meter dash while Echols ran second and Wilson, Nash and Ashcraft ran fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Echols was first in the 200-meter dash while Smith ran second and Ashcraft ran fifth.
Ballard won the 400-meter sprint while Wade finished second and Embrey and Brown ran fifth and sixth.
Thomas and Lattimore finished fifth and sixth in the 800-meter run for Forrest City.
The only field event of the meet was the high jump, won by Wilson with a leap of six feet even.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Searcy, which makes the move into the AAAAA-East Conference next year, made their presence felt Thursday at Forrest City Country Club in high school golf matches against Forrest City.
Forrest City's golf team was young a year ago and they are still young, but with more experience.
Sophomore Shane Knorenschild took medalist honors by firing a 39 to lead the Lions past the Mustangs 160-174.
Aaron Reid and Nathan Rutledge added rounds of 40 to help Searcy.
Sawyer Ramsey led Forrest City with a 41 while Brian Hacker and Jake Wade finished with rounds of 44.
In junior varsity boys' play Forrest City freshman Klint Kowen fired a 52 in his match against Searcy's John Mark Johnson and Matt Gentry. Johnson finished with a 45 while Gentry finished at 51.
Sarah Eldridge led the Forrest City girls with a 48 to take medalist honors while Hannah Cohn shot at 63 and Mary Dudley Hodges fired a 65. Emily Cohn finished with a 71.
Searcy's Amanda Lowery shot at 55.
Mustang golf coach Tommy Wheetley said he is pleased with the first two outings but expects his girls -- last year's conference champs -- to continue to get better.
Forrest City's scheduled baseball game against Brinkley Thursday was cancelled due to wet fields.
The team hopes to get today's game at Searcy.
If the weather holds, the Lions and Mustangs will start at 4:30 p.m. at the Searcy Complex.
Also yesterday, the Forrest City Lady Mustang track team was idled after a practice meet in West Memphis was cancelled.
The West Memphis Lady Blue Devil basketball team will play for the Class AAAAA state title today when they take on Fort Smith Northside at Pine Bluff's Convention Center.
Both the Palestine-Wheatley baseball and softball teams had their games cancelled Thursday as well.
The Patriots are scheduled to host Lonoke Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the high school field.
The P-W teams are scheduled for Monday games with the baseball at home and the softball team on the road at DeValls Bluff.
* PREP SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Thursday's Scores
Palestine-Wheatley at Elaine, Cancelled
Friday, March 8
Forrest City at Searcy, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 9
Lonoke at Palestine-Wheatley, 1 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
Thursday's Scores
Searcy defeated Forrest City 160-174
GIRLS SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL
Tuesday, March 12
Hughes at Elaine, 4 p.m.
Thursday, March 14
Hughes at Cross County, 3:30 p.m.
GIRLS FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday's Scores
Jacksonville 16, Forrest City 1
Brinkley at Palestine-Wheatley, Cancelled
JUNIOR HIGH TRACK
Tuesday, March 12
Forrest City Blue & White at West Memphis, 4 p.m. Boys & Girls