By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
PINE BLUFF -- The Forrest City 12-year-old All-Stars will play tonight for the District 7 Tournament championship.
The team defeated defending state champion Pine Bluff International 9-3 Saturday night to advance to tonight's title game, which is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The 12s will face Pine Bluff Seabrook, who defeated International 3-2 in the loser's semifinal played Sunday.
Both Forrest City and PB Seabrook have already qualified for the 12-year-old state tournament, which will be played in mid-July at Marion.
The 12s are being coached by Randy Pearson, Jim Machen and Terry Laws.
Forrest City opened the tournament Friday with a four inning 19-0 win over West Memphis and then returned on Saturday to knock off Wynne 6-2 and Pine Bluff.
In Saturday's winner's semifinal, International jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before Barrett Beshears hit a two out, solo home run in the bottom of the inning to cut Pine Bluff's lead to 2-1.
Forrest City then scored five runs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-2 lead and added three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Beshears was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double and scored twice.
Chance Pearson picked up the pitching victory, working six innings and giving up three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four.
Seth Smith, Findley Scott Laws, Pearson, Jacoby Cooley, Nathan Jefferson and Markese Ware each scored single runs.
Against West Memphis, Smith was the winning pitcher, facing only 14 batters in the four inning game and allowing just two hits.
Beshears led the team offensively by scoring four runs while Smith and Laws added three and Pearson scored twice.
Beshears got the pitching victory against Wynne, going five innings and facing 17 batters.
The 9 and 11-year-old All-Stars go to state while the 13, 14, and 15-year-old All-Stars open district play this week at Marion and at Forrest City.
The second annual Ralph charity golf tournament got underway today at the Forrest City Country Club. The tournament, held in honor of the late Ralph Thompson, which benefits the East Arkansas Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was highlighted with appearances by former University of Arkansas football coach Ken Hatfield, who now coaches at Rice; Forrest City native Donnie Kessinger and his son, Keith, who is the head baseball coach at Arkansas State University; PGA long driving champion Mike Dunaway; Arkansas Razorback linebacker Jeb Huckeba and John Thompson, head coach at East Carolina University and several coaches from the University of Mississippi.