By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
FORREST CITY -- It's been a while since the Forrest City Mustang baseball team has been to the state tournament.
It's been even longer for the Blytheville Chickasaws.
Tuesday, Blytheville swept Forrest City in a conference doubleheader at the Sports Complex which landed them in the Class AAAAA state tournament.
The team's last trip into baseball postseason came in 1992 -- the year they won the then AAAA-East conference title.
The Mustangs, with one conference doubleheader left to play against West Memphis, will once again miss the state tournament cut.
Forrest City has not been to the state tournament since 1999 when they finished 10-11 overall and 8-6 in the conference.
The Mustangs lost to Rogers in that first round game played at Little Rock Mills.
Since that trip the Mustangs have finished 3-17-1; 5-14; 4-17 and 1-19 with a combined four-year conference mark of 4-49.
This year's 2-1 win over Jacksonville was the first conference win for a Mustang team since the 2001 season.
Blytheville (11-13), which will drop from AAAAA to AAAA next year, defeated the Mustangs Tuesday 13-5 and 14-4, to improve to 7-5 in their final tour of the AAAAA East.
At the same time, Jonesboro was busy taking a pair of conference victories over Cabot, which falls to 4-8.
With two games left in conference play, the Chicks have ensured themselves the fourth and final berth in the playoffs.
The second game against Forrest City on Tuesday, was Blytheville's eighth game in seven days.
The Chicks finished 3-11 in conference play last season with a talented senior-laden squad, including All-Star game MVP David Humphrey and four-year all-conference performers Joel Huffman and John Charles Rose.
As the Chicks began this season, the expectations weren't much better.
However, after last year's 1-19 campaign, the expectations for Forrest City's season were brighter. And even though the team has four victories this season, only one has been of the conference nature.
In Tuesday's opener, Blytheville junior Chris Smith (4-2, 4-4) pitched his sixth straight complete conference game and Blytheville scored seven times in the sixth inning to break open a close game.
In the nightcap, sophomore Cal Rose (1-0, 3-0) continued his recent run of success from atop the pitching mound by tossing a five-inning complete game in his first conference start as the Chicks run-ruled the Mustangs 14-4 in five innings.
The Chicks face league leader Searcy in their conference finale here next Tuesday.
nAlso Tuesday, the Searcy Lions (22-3 overall, 11-1 AAAAA-East) moved one step closer to a conference championship by sweeping West Memphis, 7-4 in the opener and 10-0 in six innings in a more impressive second game.
Brandon Lynch pitched a two-hitter in the second game with five strikeouts and no walks.
He also went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, both in the sixth inning to help Searcy close it out on the 10-run rule.
In contrast to the first game, the Lions showed strong play in the field as well as at the plate. Second baseman Cody Hammons, third baseman Matt Dillon and centerfielder Blake Robertson came up with big plays during the game to limit West Memphis to only two baserunners
The Lions' final home game of the season will be Thursday at 4 p.m. against Marion.
Following a Friday date at Batesville, Searcy will play its final two conference games at Blytheville on Tuesday and needs a sweep over the Chicks to take the AAAAA-East Conference title outright.
Jonesboro, currently in second place -- one game behind the Searcy Lions -- swept Cabot 5-1 and 10-2, to stay on Searcy's heels in the conference chase.
The Mustangs will travel to West Memphis on Monday for a varsity doubleheader, which will end the year for the team.
Forrest City's scheduled nonconference home game today against Wynne has been rained out.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
A year ago, the Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots breezed into the regional finals with convincing victories over Walnut Ridge and Hazen.
The P-W girls fell to Gillett in the title game but moved on to state play where they lost to eventual Class AA champion, Benton Harmony-Grove in he first round.
Saturday, the No. 2 seeded Lady Patriots will open play at the Class AA Region 4 tournament at Rector. They will have Bay in Saturday's first round at 1:45 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley lost to Cross County Tuesday in the 3AA South district finals.
The Lady Yellowjackets are the No. 3 seed from the 3AA North.
Also Tuesday, Hughes, playing their first full season of fast-pitch softball, finished third in district play defeating Marked Tree 20-18.
Hughes draws second-seeded Riverside Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
Cross County, winners of the 3AA South district, will face Crowley's Ridge Academy on Saturday.
Wednesday, Rector breezed to its second consecutive 3AA-North district softball tournament title by beating Riverside 7-1 Wednesday. Riverside is 9-11 for the year.
*In area softball action Tuesday, Macon Road took a doubleheader from Calvary Christian, winning 22-8 and 15-4.
Lindsey Poe scored twice for CCS in the first game while Summer Hess, Megan Best, Hannah McMahand, Meredith Borden and Kriston Hogland scored single runs.
In game two, Pow, Courtney Gills, Borden and McMahand all scored single runs.
The doubleheader closed out the season for the Lady Eagles.
JONESBORO -- As of press time, the Paul Hoffman Relays, scheduled for today at Jonesboro High School, will be run.
The field events may be a little sloppy, but apparently the annual track and field event will go on.
Points may well be at a premium when Jonesboro hosts the combined junior high/senior high Paul Hoffman meet, which has grown into one of the state's largest meets.
The Forrest City Junior and Senior Mustangs will be competing.
After the Golden Hurricane earned its first Hoffman Relays victory in over a decade last year, repeating will be a tough chore as 20 high schools and a number of the state's top performers will compete in today's meet, which starts at 3:30 p.m. at Cooksey-Johns Field.
Jonesboro enters the Relays with two victories and a third-place finish in three meets while six conference foes, including contenders West Memphis and Cabot, will be challenging for the title.
Forrest City brings a fourth place finish at Green County Tech and a fifth-place finish Monday at Marion to today's meet.
In the 100 meters, the Osceola duo of Kris Brock (10.91) and Joseph Scott (10.95) have put up times that have ranked in the top-10 in the state. Marcus Arnold of Rivercrest, Ken Byrd of West Memphis and Avery Taylor of Jonesboro will be others to watch in the event.
Byrd was last year's high-point award winner at the meet after winning the 100 and 200. Byrd will be out to defend his 200 title with competition from Arnold and Brock.
In the 400, Osceola's Dustin Lewis (50.65) has a state top-10 time while Forrest City's Eric Walker ran under a 51.0 at Marion Monday. Jonesboro's Jeremy Trimble has been clocked at 52.29.
Josh Bruno of Heber Springs is the favorite in the 800 and the 1,600. Bruno has the top time in the state in the 800 (1:59.53) and has clocked 4:35 in the 1,600 for the top mark in Class AAA so far.
Jonesboro's Glenn Ritter, who swept the 1,600 and the 3,200 in last year's meet, is expected to battle for top honors again today.
Ritter has a best of 2.01 in the 800 while Zach Darr of Mountain Home and Chris Henry of Marion come in with times right at the 2:00 mark.
Two of the best hurdlers in the state will battle it out in both the 110- and 300-meter events.
Steven Davis of Forrest City (14.94) and Evan Van Dolah of Mountain Home (14.99) have two of the state's top-10 times in the 110 and the 300, with Davis running a 40.37 and Van Dolah a 40.74 in that event.
Strong in the sprints, Osceola has one of the state's top 400-meter relay teams, running a best of 43.10 while West Memphis has turned in a time of under 44.0.
Heber Springs and Jonesboro are two of the leading contenders in the 3,200-meter relay while the Hurricane will get its first chance to run among stout competition since the indoor season.
In the field events, there are four shot putters competing that have thrown over 50 feet this year, led by West Memphis' Brandon Gates (51-5) and Casey Wyatt of Cabot (50-7). The Panthers are also strong in the discus with Jesse Williams, who has the state's top throw with a heave of 167-0.
Jonesboro Yuriy Morozov won the long jump and finished third in last year's meet and is expected to be in the thick of things in both events again. Morozov and Sonny Weems of West Memphis each jumped over 23 feet Monday at Marion while Avery Taylor and Van Dolah of Mountain Home also have top-10 jumps in the state at 21-10.
The Food Giant adult men's softball team is needing players for the upcoming Forrest City season. Call Jeff Hamilton at 261-2857.