By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots wrapped up their regular season schedule Monday by sweeping Hughes in a 3AA South conference doubleheader.
Amanda Hoots got the pitching victory in game one as the Lady Patriots took a 16-3 win in five. Fallon Parker worked six strong innings in the nightcap to get the win as P-W rolled to a 19-7 final.
The doubleheader sweep gives the Lady Patriots a 4-4 overall season record and a 4-2 mark in the conference, both losses coming against Cross County.
The No. 2 seeded Lady Patriots will play third-seeded Marked Tree today at 12:45 p.m., in the 3AA South District Tournament at Cherry Valley.
Top-seeded Cross County and fourth seed Hughes will open the tournament at 11 a.m.
Palestine-Wheatley has already qualified for the upcoming Region 3 Tournament, which begins next week at Rector.
In Monday's first game, Hoots held the Lady Blue Devils to just one hit but allowed three runs. She walked three and hit four batters while striking out six.
Hughes, playing their first full season of fast-pitch softball, led briefly after Valraneeka Brown was hit by a pitch and stole second and third before scoring on a sacrifice ground out by Marley Lemons.
P-W tied the game and took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning when Brittney Gordon, Kara Siler and Fallon Parker each scored.
P-W added two more runs in the bottom of the second and exploded for six runs in the bottom of third, highlighted by Gordon's grand slam home run to left field off Hughes' pitcher Casey Rash, who was on in relief. Gordon's blast came after three consecutive walks loaded the bases.
The Lady Patriots loaded the bases again in the bottom of the fourth and plated five more runs to end the game under the mercy rule, leading 16-3 after Hughes failed to score in the top of the fifth.
Keisha Stovall led the Lady Patriots by scoring three times while Natalie Halbert, Gordon, Siler, Hoots and Kelly Stovall each scored twice.
Melissa Foster and Jana Robinson each scored single runs for Hughes.
In game two, the Lady Patriots got four runs each from Parker and Chelsea Jumper and three runs from Gordon and Halbert.
Parker connected for a solo home run in the game.
Siler, Cara Lansford, Kelly and Keisha Stovall and Lauren Dover added single runs.
Mandy Davidson and Jana Robinson scored two runs each while Casey Rash and Yakita Johnson scored single runs for Hughes.
Lady Mustangs scheduled to compete today at the Lady Hurricane Relays in Jonesboro
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
MARION -- The Forrest City Junior Mustangs and Senior Mustangs ran to fifth-place finishes Monday at the Patriot Relays held at Marion.
The Junior Mustangs, running for the third time this season, finished with 44 points in the 14-team meet.
Kyle Houston gave Forrest City their only first-place finish by winning the mile run -- the first time Forrest City has won that particular event in several seasons.
Terry Hughes was fourth in the discus.
John Washington ran second in the 110-meter hurdles while teammate Justin Ross finished sixth in the same event. Ross finished fifth in the high jump and sixth in the long jump.
Neiko Walker ran fifth in the 400-meter run while William Mitchell finished fourth in the 200-meter run.
The team of Kenneth Rucker, Ross, Cameron Norris and Antonio Robinson ran to a second-place finish in the mile relay event.
Sophomore sprinter Eric Walker led the senior high Mustangs by winning the 400-meter run in a time of 50.98. Walker also finished third in the 100-meter run and was sixth in the long jump.
Chris Barrett, Kenneth Jordan, Brian Smith and Walker combined to run fifth in the 400-meter relay and second in the mile relay.
Charles Freeman, Chris Scott, Jamar Isom and Justin Jones teamed up to run fifth in the two-mile relay.
The senior Mustangs ran fourth last week at the Greene County Tech Relays in Paragould.
The junior and senior high teams will run Thursday at the Paul Hoffman Relays at Jonesboro.
Meanwhile, the junior and senior high Lady Mustang track teams will compete today at the Lady Hurricane Relays at Jonesboro.
The Lady Mustangs are coming off a third-place performance at last week's Eagle Relays held at Greene County Tech.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Cabot pitcher Molly Fleming held Forrest City to one hit Monday and the Lady Panthers had just enough offense to score a 10-0 conference victory over the Lady Mustangs at the Sports Complex.
Fleming gave up the one hit to Forrest City's lone senior, catcher Rachel Sims, in the bottom of the second inning. The rest of the way Fleming cruised, striking out five and not allowing a walk or a run.
She was backed by a solid defensive effort.
Forrest City pitcher Stacey Gracey did her part, holding Cabot to just four runs through the first five innings. What she didn't have was any run support.
"We hit the ball solid, but we hit the ball right at them," said Forrest City Coach Pam England. "We just couldn't find the holes."
Gracey took the loss giving up the 10 runs on 10 hits while walking six and striking out six but only six of the 10 runs were earned.
The victory gives Cabot a 10-1 mark in the AAAAA-East Conference and, at least for now, puts them in first place. Cabot entered the game locked in a three-way tie for first in the conference with West Memphis and Jacksonville.
Cabot led 2-0 after one inning and did not score again until the top of the fourth as Gracey retired six of the next seven Cabot hitters.
The Lady Panthers added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings and put the game away with three-runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.
Following Sims' second inning single, Fleming set down 15 of the next 16 Forrest City hitters she faced.
Jamie Sterrenberg scored three times for Cabot while Amanda Oates and Victoria Landes each scored twice.
Landes led off the Cabot sixth with a solo home run.
Allison Astin, April Ellison and Madison Gill each scored single runs.
The Lady Mustangs slip to 6-10 overall and 3-9 in the conference with two games left to play.
Forrest City plays at Jonesboro today.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs will host Blytheville today in a conference doubleheader at the Sports Complex.
The AAAAA-East twinbill is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Forrest City is coming off a 12-10 nonconference win over West Helena last Thursday but has only one conference win for the year.
The Mustangs are 4-10 overall and 1-9 in the league with two games remaining to be played after today's matchup against the Chicks.
The Mustangs will play Wynne in a varsity-junior varsity doubleheader Thursday and will close out the regular season on Monday when they travel to West Memphis for a doubleheader.
Searcy, Mountain Home, Jonesboro and the Chicks are holding down the top four places in the conference.
The Food Giant adult men's softball team is needing players for the upcoming season. Call Jeff Hamilton at 633-2857.