By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
MARION -- Forrest City had the lead and the title within their grasp. They just couldn't hang on against Pine Bluff.
Pine Bluff's Junior Babe Ruth All-Stars capped an incredible comeback Tuesday by winning the 13-year-old District 7 Tournament played at Marion's John Robbin's Field.
Pine Bluff defeated the Forrest City 13-year-old All-Stars 8-5 Tuesday in the "if" championship game.
Forrest City, however, advances to the 13-year-old state tournament after Pine Bluff opted not to make the trip.
The state tournament begins Friday, July 11, at Monticello. Forrest City will play Vilonia at 5:30 p.m.
Pine Bluff earned the right to play Forrest City again Tuesday when they won the first championship game Monday 5-1.
Until that point Forrest City had won three straight games to get to the finals.
Pine Bluff lost their opening game last Thursday to White Hall 9-7 and then played and won six games in five days to snatch the championship away from a very good Forrest City team.
Forrest City scored all five of their runs in the top of the second inning when Chad Doyle, Douglas Miller, Byron Gardner, Chaunceney Boles and Donnie Willis Jr each scored single runs.
Pine Bluff plated two runs in the bottom of the third to cut Forrest City's lead to 5-2.
Doyle, the starting Forrest City pitcher had just three innings left Tuesday after pitching four innings on Monday.
Leonard Banks came on in the bottom of the fourth and worked a scoreless inning before running into trouble in the fifth when he gave way to Miller with two Pine Bluff runners on and no outs.
Miller walked the bases loaded and then issued an RBI walk to Chance Cleveland as Pine edged closer at 5-3. That brought Gardner to the mound with the bases loaded and still no outs.
Willis, Forrest City's starting catcher, got the first out of the inning when Pine Bluff tried to score on a passed ball with Samuel Johnson at the plate. Willis chased down the ball and throwing from his knees got the ball back to Gardner who was covering home on the play in time for the out. B.J. McDonnally went down on strikes for the second out before Michael Newby walked to reload the bases. Jerrick Ventriss laced a two-RBI single to tie the game at 5-5 and then got hung up in an intentional run down between first and second trying to get the go-ahead run home from third. The ploy backfired as Ventriss was tagged out before the runner crossed the plate, leaving the game knotted at 5-5.
Forrest City put a runner on base in the top of the sixth when Doyle was hit by a pitch from Johnson, who had relieved Newby, the Pine Bluff starter. Doyle was forced at second on a fielder's choice play by Miller before Gardner and Boles went down on strikes to end the inning.
Pine Bluff took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Caleb Tichey got on base using a Forrest City error to pull into third base. One out later, with Hunter Jeter at the plate, Gardner's pick off throw to third sailed into left field scoring Tichey and giving Pine Bluff their first lead at 6-5. Jeter would double and Johnson singled to center before Billy Lee grounded out and Cleveland walked to load the bases. A two-run error on a grounder hit by McDonnally left Pine Bluff holding an 8-5 lead.
Willis singled to start the Forrest City seventh before both teams waited through a 20 minute power failure. When play resumed, James Green was caught looking at a called third strike, Tyrice Bradley went down swinging and Justin Cochran was out on a grounder to end the game.
Johnson, Lee and Jeter each scored twice to lead Pine Bluff.
In Monday's 5-1 loss to Pine Bluff, Banks accounted for Forrest City's lone run in the top of the third while Pine Bluff scored four times in the bottom of the first and added a single run in the bottom of the fifth. Gardner, Miller and Doyle teamed for the Forrest City pitching duties.
Forrest City opened the tournament on Thursday by trouncing Pine Bluff Northern 19-1 and then rolled over Wynne 22-0. In the winner's semifinal game, Forrest City defeated West Memphis 12-6 before falling to Pine Bluff in Monday's first title game.
Daniel Richards and Dexter Lyles round out the Forrest City 13s, who are coached by Wayman Cochran, Jerry Doyle and Arty Richards.
After losing to White Hall in the opener, Pine Bluff was awarded a forfeit win over Helena Twin City, who pulled out of the tournament and then defeated Wynne 23-0 and slapped White Hall and West Memphis to get to the finals.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
White Hall snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Monday night to win the 15-year-old District 7 Tournament, played at the Sports Complex.
White Hall, which rolled into Sunday's championship undefeated, felt the sting of defeat for the first time when Pine Bluff stayed alive for one more day, using a 5-3 win to set up the "if" game. White Hall bounded back to take the "if" game and the district title with a 6-3 over Pine Bluff.
Pine Bluff fell into the loser's bracket Saturday when White Hall rolled to a 10-2 win.
Pine Bluff regrouped to take an 8-3 loser's bracket victory over Marion to set up Sunday's final.
Forrest City's 15-year-old squad played two games and were eliminated.
Forrest City lost their opener to White Hall, 15-6, played July 4.
White Hall scored three times in the top of the first inning and added four runs in the top of the second to lead 7-1. They added three in the fourth before Forrest City plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth, two runs in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh.
Ivan Gardner started for Forrest City and pitched into the top of the fourth before giving way to Dion Davenport.
Rashad Green scored twice for Forrest City while Travis Holloway, Darry Banks, Davenport and Arthur Jones added single runs.
Forrest City was eliminated on Saturday when marion scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 6-6 tie and take a 9-6 win.
Gardner pitched into the bottom of the fourth before Holloway and Preston Echols took their turns on the mound.
Echols, Kiel Smith and Gardner each scored single runs in the top of the first to put Forrest City in front 3-0. marion sliced the lead to 3-2 with two runs in the bottom of the inning and tied the game at 3-3 with a single run in the bottom of the second.
Forrest City regained a 6-3 lead when Smith and Gardner scored for the second time and Kenny Grady scored in the top of the third.
Marion tied the game at 6-6 with three runs in the bottom of the third.
Thirty-one teams began play last Friday at the 9-year-old state tournament in Lake Village.
After Tuesday's schedule of games, only two remain.
The Forrest City All-Stars were eliminated early in the competition.
Are you ready for football?
If the answer to that question is 'yes,' then there's good news.
Hooten's 2003 Arkansas Football has hit the stands. All 454 pages.
There is good news for Forrest City Mustang fans.
Hooten's has given the Mustangs it's highest preseason pick since the magazine first appeared in 1993.
Hooten's has Forrest City picked to finish fifth in the AAAAA-East Conference this year. Previous issues have never had the Mustangs ranked higher than sixth.
The magazine has Cabot picked to win the conference with West Memphis second, Jacksonville third and Jonesboro fourth.
The issue highlights the fact that Forrest City will have 32 seniors on the roster this season and returns the entire offensive unit.
Senior lineman Stephen Henry is listed on Hooten's Class AAAAA Sonic Super Team while Hughes senior running back Andre Walker was named to the Class AA Sonic Super Team.
Wynne's Akeyon Reed was named to the Class AAAA Sonic Super Team.
Forrest City is ranked 19th out of 20 class AAAAA teams.
Overall, Hooten's preseason favorite to win the Class AAAAA title is Springdale and the Class AAAA favorite is Stuttgart.
Wynne is picked eighth in AAAA.
Pulaski Academy gets the nod as the favorite in Class AAA while Charleston is the clear favorite in Class AA.
The Hughes Blue Devils, coming off a strong 2002 season, are ranked 11th in the AA standings while Palestine-Wheatley draws the 13th ranking.
The 2003 issue is titled "Full Tilt" and features Arkansas Razorback coach Houston Nutt and Arkansas State Coach Steve Roberts on the cover along with Fort Smith Southside quarterback John Thomas and UCA quarterback Zak Clark.
Hooten's has Arkansas picked to finish third in the SEC West behind LSU and Auburn and Arkansas State picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference.