By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
By the time, the Forrest City 13-year-old All-Stars found some offense Sunday against Clark County, it was just a little late.
Clark County stayed unbeaten in the Babe Ruth 13-year-old state tournament Sunday with an 11-2 win over Forrest City.
Clark County, which has outscored its three opponents, 31-to-9, will face Little Rock Junior Deputy tonight at 7:30 p.m., in the winner's semifinal game.
Junior Deputy advanced by dismantling highly-favored Pine Bluff 10-5.
Forrest City opened the tournament Friday with a 4-2 win over Jacksonville and did not have to play Saturday.
Chance Pearson picked up the pitching win Friday, holding Jacksonville to two runs on eight hits and two walks.
The tournament continues through Wednesday, with the winner earning the right to advance to the Babe Ruth regional Tournament to be played in Monticello.
Today is a "win or go home' situation for Forrest City as the team faces Sheridan today at 5:15 p.m., at the Sports Complex in a loser's bracket game. Sheridan lost to Junior Deputy Friday but has rallied to eliminate Crossett on Saturday and Stuttgart Sunday to stay alive in the loser's bracket.
Sunday night, Clark County scored four runs in the top of the first inning off Forrest city starter, Findley Scott Laws, who lasted just a third of an inning before giving way to Barett Beshears.
Beshears settled in and held Clark County scoreless in the second, third and fourth innings. Forrest City, however, was being held in check by Clark County starter Kaleb Cogburn who worked the first three innings.
Clark added two runs in the top of the fifth using two hits and a walk to push their lead to 6-0 and Clark reliever Spencer Kizer held the host team scoreless in the home half of the inning.
Three runs on four hits and four errors in the top of the sixth, gave Clark a 9-0 cushion before Forrest City avoided being shutout by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth.
Laws and Beshears both reached on Clark County errors and both came home to score.
Clark County added two more runs in the top of the seventh using two hits and a bases-loaded walk off the third Forrest City pitcher of the night, Markese Ware.
Forrest City put two on base in the bottom of the seventh but came away empty as Clark County pitcher Kyle Evans closed out the victory.
Against Jacksonville Friday, Forrest City led 2-0 after Laws and Mario Peters walked and scored in the second. Jacksonville tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth when Tom Sanders and Clayton fenton each scored. Forrest City regained the lead at 4-2 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Laws and Mark Machen, who singled and scored on an RBI double by Pearson.
In other games played Sunday,White Hall eliminated Monticello and will face Pine Bluff today at 3 p.m.
On Saturday, Pine Bluff defeated Stuttgart 12-1, Clark County downed Monticello 6-2, Sheridan handed Crossett a 4-3 loss and White Hall eliminated Jacksonville 6-4.
Friday's first round saw Stuttgart getting past White Hall 4-2 in 11 innings, Clark County disposing of Crossett 14-5 and Junior Deputy shutting the door on Sheridan.
The Jonesboro 13-year-old All-Stars dropped a 9-4 decision to Springdale Sunday afternoon, during the Babe Ruth State Tournament held in Batesville.
Springdale tallied four runs the second inning and four runs in the third, building a quick 8-0 lead.
Jonesboro will play in today's 5 p.m. loser's bracket final. With a win, Jonesboro advances to tonight's 7 p.m., championship game, needing two wins for the crown.
The Jonesboro 10-year-old All-Stars dropped their opener in the state tournament Saturday afternoon, falling to Springdale 7-3 before rebounding with a 13-3 win over Harrison.
Lucas Johnston led Jonesboro at the plate with a double, single and three runs batted in. Watts added two singles and an RBI while Jake Waddell, Robert McCauley, Kadin Hydrick and Jackson McNeil all had hits for Jonesboro.
The Jonesboro 11-year-old All-Stars defeated NEA East 18-1 in the district tournament championship Sunday at Joe Mack Campbell Park.
Colby Inboden, Chase Chamberlain and Chase Cook each had a single and a double to contribute to the team's 15 hits while clay Williams and Colton Shadwick each had two singles.
Inboden pitched three innings, allowing an unearned run off of no hits, walking three and striking out three.
Jonesboro moves on to the state tournament in Blytheville and will play its first round at 5 p.m. Friday.
At Greenwood, the Jonesboro 12-year-old All-Stars were dealt a setback int the 12-year-old state baseball tournament in Greenwood Sunday afternoon, falling 8-5 to Springdale.
Jonesboro will face the winner of Fort Smith Church League and Johnson County today at 3 p.m.
At Pea Ridge, the Jonesboro 16-year-old All-Stars dropped into the loser's bracket with a 4-2 loss to the NEA All-Stars Sunday night at the Senior Babe Ruth state baseball tournament.
Jonesboro will resume play today at 2:30 p.m., against the winner of Sunday's night's late game between Westark and Northwest Arkansas Greenland.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
For most golfers, hitting a hole-in-one is rare, once-in-a-liftime occurance.
On Saturday, not one but two Forrest City golfers felt the thrill of hitting holes-in-one.
Local attorney John D. Bridgforth and Rob Lemke both sank holes-in-one, while playing in the Forrest City Four Ball Men's Invitational Tournament.
For Bridgforth, who has been playing golf for close to 45 years, the hole-in-one on the 155-yard par 3 hole No. 2 was his first ever.
"Thrilled is the only word I can think of to describe how I felt," Bridgforth said. "I hit the tee shot using a six-iron, but all we could see was the ball bounce onto the green. When we got to the green and started looking for our lies, I didn't see mine. Preston Hicky walked over to the cup and saw my ball. I guess after the bounce, the ball kicked toward the hole and went in."
Bridgforth was playing in a foursome with Hicky, his partner, Bubba Lindsey and Jay Lindsey, alos from Forrest City.
Lemke's hole-in-one came on the 155 yard, par 3 No. 5 hole with an eight-iron.
"The balls flight was high off the tee and it just one-hopped into the hole when it hit the green," Lemke said. "We all watched it hit the hole."
Lemke was partnered with Austin Easley, and the pair finished second in the tournament's last flight. Dr. Michael Norris of Wynne and Reed Peevey were also in the foursome.
Lemke, who says he has been playing for about seven years, also won a set of Cleveland Iron Clubs for acing the hole.
"Winning the clubs was great but getting the hole-in-one is something that you savor for a long time," Lemke said.
SEARCY -- Land O'Frost nearly bobbles away win but winds up with doubleheader sweep
With the tying run for Forrest City edging toward home plate, Searcy Land O' Frost first baseman Kevin Lewis had one of those moments every fielder dreads.
He made the wrong play with the ball, throwing behind the runner to Cody Hammons covering third base instead of throwing to the plate.
Fortunately, Hammons and catcher Shane Crossen had the reflexes to make it all work out anyway.
On a quick throw from Hammons, Crossen made a high tag on Josh Livingston's head as he slid for the plate and Land O' Frost held on for a 5-4 win Saturday afternoon at Crain-Yancey Field.
The Searcy squad followed that up with a more dominant 9-1 win in the second game to clinch no worse than second place in Zone 2.
After an error-filled sixth inning turned Searcy's shutout-in-progress into a tight contest, Forrest City came within a hair of at least forcing a seventh inning at-bat for the home team.
Livingston led off with a double and Alex Woods followed with a single and then stole second base to set up the unlikely double play of which Lewis was a part.
After a Forrest City ground ball to Searcy third baseman Josh Jordan, who looked Livingston back to third and the throw over to Lewis for the first out, Lewis then ran toward the pitcher's mound checking Livingston as Woods tried to decoy a throw by drifting between second and third.
The play at the plate went Land O' Frost's way and winning pitcher Scott Hudgins got to fly out to right fielder Kalyn Kirk to secure the win.
"It was a close play but we've had several close plays at home that haven't gone our way," said Land O' Frost coach and former Forrest City junior high coach Clay McCammon.
Something else that went Land O' Frost's way was Shane Crossen, who belted home runs in his first two at-bats, the first a two-run shot after Hudgins led off with a single in the first inning and the second a solo blast to start the third inning.
Crossen had three of Searcy's five RBIs.
In the fifth, Land O' Frost got the bases loaded and produced two runs out of it, one on a single by Cody Hammons and the other on a sacrifice fly to center field by Derek Hamilton.
It seemed all was well until the Searcy infielders got themselves into trouble during an ugly six-error sixth inning.
Forrest City's Jason Smith and Livingston both reached on infield errors and Smith later scored on another error. Livingston then came in on an ill-advised throw to first when Landon Bullard plunked down a short, slow roller near the third base line for a infield hit.
The infield mishaps continued. What probably should have been an inning-ending double play ball instead wound up in left-center field and Keil Solo Smith and Bullard ended up at second and third, respectively. Justin McKissack brought home Bullard on a ground out to make it 5-3.
Smith then came home on a wild pitch and Hudgins struggled, walking two batters and giving up a short single to left to put Forrest City in a prime position to take the lead. But the middle of the infield was much better on the next ground ball and shut off the threat with a toss to second base for the force out.
Hudgins finished the game giving up no earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
In the second game, G.C. Griffin hammered out four RBIs, two on a single in the fourth inning as Land O' Frost took command once again and this time played a much more solid defensive game with a big lead.
Hudgins, Hammons and Hamilton also had run-scoring hits.
Kirk got the win on the mound in the second game by going six innings. He gave up just four hits, struck out three and walked four.
Jordan pitched the seventh, in which Forrest City avoided the shutout on an RBI double from Kyle Smith.
The Forrest City adult men's softball league will return to action tonight for a round of make-up games at the Sports Complex.
The games will begin at 6 p.m. The league will conclude its regular season Thursday night, before several teams will open play Saturday in the district tournament at Forrest City.
Seventeen men's teams and seven women's teams will compete in the district tournament.
In the men's league Gym 2000 and Kerby's are tied for first place and are scheduled to play each other Thursday to decide the overall season championship.