By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Pine Bluff Seabrook had the home field and the home crowd but Forrest City had the grit and the determination.
And, they had Markese Ware.
Ware served up an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning, which Seabrook turned into a two-run error to lift Forrest City to a 9-5 win over Pine Bluff in the championship game of the District 7 Tournament at Pine Bluff Seabrook.
Forrest City also had Barrett Beshears on the mound, who picked up his second victory in four district tournament games.
Beshears pitched Forrest City past Wynne 6-2 Saturday to get his teammates into the winner's semifinal game.
Against Wynne, Beshears faced only 17 batters. Monday night, against Seabrook, he had to work a little harder facing 25 Seabrooks hitters. He finished by allowing the five Pine Bluff runs on five hits and five walks and struck out five.
Beshears also helped offensively, going 3-for-3 at the plate and scoring three runs.
Seabrook took advantage of a shaky first inning by Forrest City to take a quick 4-0 lead.
Forrest City got two runs back in the bottom of the inning, cutting Seabrook's lead to 4-2, before both teams sat through a 20-minute rain delay.
Beshears worked a 1-2-3 inning in the second and third which set the stage for the Forrest City fireworks in the bottom of the third.
With two out, Forrest City loaded the bases for Ware whose hard RBI grounder to shallow center field was misplayed clearing the bases, leaving the 12s in front 6-4 and Ware standing at third.
Seabrook got a run back in the top of the fourth to trail 6-5 before Forrest City nailed down the victory in the bottom of the fourth by scoring three more runs -- two of those courtesy of Mark Machen's two-RBI single to center field. Forrest City added the final run scoring on a passed ball with Jacoby Cooley at the plate.
Seabrook went quietly in the top of the fifth after Beshears gave up a one-out walk. Beshears struck out the final Seabrook hitter he faced in the top of the sixth to end the game.
Seth Smith, Findley Scott Laws, Machen and Cooley each scored single runs while Chance Pearson scored twice.
Forrest City scored their nine runs on nine hits off two Pine Bluff Seabrook pitchers.
Both Forrest City and Seabrook advance to the 12-year-old state tournament, which begins next week at Marion.
Forrest City will open play on Friday, July 11, at 3:15 p.m., against the District 6 champion.
Forrest City shut out West Memphis on Friday 19-0 to open district play and then took down Wynne Saturday morning and defending 12-year-old state champs, Pine Bluff International 9-3 Saturday night to get to the championship game.
Seabrook moved into the championship game by working their way back through the loser's bracket after losing to International on Saturday.
Sunday afternoon, Seabrook eliminated International 3-2 in the loser's semifinal.
The Forrest City 12s are Ware, Pearson, Evan Daugherty, Smith, Beshears, Laws, Lee Smith, Cooley, Machen, Hunter McMahand, Jared Northcutt, Quinn Powell, Jerome McDaniel and Nathan Jefferson. The team is coached by Randy Pearson, Terry Laws and Jim Machen.
Pine Bluff Seabrook won the 10-year-old District 7 Tournament Monday, which was played at Helena.
The Forrest City 10s were eliminated early, after losing to Wynne and West Memphis.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City-based Arkansas Concrete 12-year-old traveling youth baseball team are headed to St. Louis and the World Series.
Arkansas Concrete, 33-7-5, finished second this past weekend at the Last Chance NIT Tournament, played at Southaven, Miss.
Concrete beat the Tennessee Giants 10-2 in the Siler Medal consolation championship game.
The team finished 4-1 overall in the tournament.
The team opens play at the AAYBA World Series Friday, July 4, in St. Louis, Mo.
It is the second consecutive trip to the World Series for the Concrete traveling team.
The team has prepared for the World Series trip by playing several weekend tournaments, including the Covington (Tenn.) Mudcat Bash -- which they won.
In that tournament, Arkansas Concrete hit 11 home runs two each by Joey Bonds, Barrett Astin and Raymond Patillo, one by Price Holmes and four by Jameson Weaver.
The remaining team members are Jordan Merilatt, Jacob Merilatt, Turner Norsworthy, Baker Aldridge, Brent DeVazier and Jacob Smith.
The team is coached by Greg Bonds, John Aldridge and Tommy Norsworthy.
Concrete opened their tournament season with 20 consecutive victories before suffering a 6-5 loss to the St. Charles (Mo.) Saints at the Sonic Slam Tournament at Southaven in early May.
The team finished that tournament at 1-2.
At the Memorial Day tournament, also played at Southaven, the team slipped to a 1-1-2 finish before rebounding for a 4-1 finish at the School's Out Celebration tournament -- good enough to earn the team second place.
The 2003 AAYBA "Open" World Series will include groups 10U, 12U, & 14U will be July 4th -11th and age groups 11U & 13U will be July 12-19th.
The tournament uses the drop-down format which "qualifies" the teams on the field during round one of pool play. After round one, based on the on-field results teams will be separated into Gold, Silver, and Bronze divisions which essentially matches teams of equal abilities against each other. Champions are crowned at each level. Opening ceremonies for each week will held on the field at Busch Stadium prior to a St Louis Cardinals game.
Wynne Fisher Farms won the 10-under Class C slow-pitch state softball tournament played this past weekend at Sherwood.
Fisher Farms finished third at the District tournament played at Forrest City's Sports Complex two weekends ago, behind Wynne Servco and Wynne's Clark Appraisal.
There was a Forrest City connection for Fisher, who picked up three Forrest City 10-under league players to round out their roster for the state tournament.
Food Giant players Raven Harrell and KeKe King were added to the Fisher Farms roster as was Andrea Hall from Dr. Schwartz.
The 10-under Forrest City softball league championship will be determined tonight when Stevens and Dr. Schwartz hook up at 7:30 p.m., at the Sports Complex.
Stevens won the National Division side of the league while Dr. Schwartz won the tie-breaker over Food Giant in the American Division side of the league standings.
In the adult men's softball league Monday, Barnes Timber moved into a tie for the league lead with Gym 2000, by defeating Gym 23-11. Earlier in the season, Gym handed barnes it's first league loss in three seasons.
Both teams are 11-1 for the year with four playing dates remaining on the schedule.
Kerby's picked up a victory over Morgan Monday to stay in second place behind the two co-leaders. Kerby's, 7-5, downed Morgan 20-16. M&T Paving, 7-6, stayed in third place using a split of their doubleheader Monday, losing to the Bulldogs 13-12 and then topping Morgan 19-17.
In other games Poison defeated Boar's Head 19-3.
The league will resume play Thursday night and finish the season next week as the remaining rain out games are played.
The men's and women's district tournament will be played the weekend of July 18-20 at the Sports Complex.
Forrest City Sports Complex will also be the host for the July Baseball Bash, sponsored by the Delta Storms traveling youth baseball team, the weekend of July 18-20.
The tournament will feature age divisions from T-Ball through 14-Under.
Entry fees are $150 per team for the three-game guaranteed tournament.
Interested teams can call Wayman Cochran at 870-633-8668 (day) or 870-633-4441 at night.
The younger ages will play Cal Ripken rules while the older division teams will use Babe Ruth rules and regulations.
Palestine-Wheatley High School will give athletic physical examinations for all junior and senior high students who want to participate in any of the school's sports or cheerleading, on Thursday, July 31, from 8 until 10:30 a.m.
The physicals are free and will be held at the high school.
Wynne's Chris Parnell placed second in his division (super pool B) at the Arkansas Ford Dealers Big Bass Bonanza fishing tournament held Friday and Saturday on the Arkansas River.
Parnell had a catch of 6.01 pounds Earl Wilson of Plummerville was the big winner with his 6.19-pound large-mouth bass, he caught less than 30 minutes into the tournament. Wilson collected $100,000 for his catch.
The tournament is the largest amateur bass event in the United States with close to 3,000 anglers entering the annual tournament representing 17 states.