By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
They may have been listed last in the tournament program, but they finished first on the field.
The Little Rock Junior Deputy 13-year-old All-Stars completed a perfect run through the Babe Ruth State Tournament Wednesday at the Forrest City Sports Complex.
A trio of Junior Deputy pitchers -- Michael Marsh, Joseph Glancy and Dylan Owen -- held Clark County to just three runs on eight hits to take an 8-3 win in Wednesday's championship game.
The tournament's final game was a rematch of Monday's winner's semifinal game between the same two teams. Junior Deputy won that one, too, 7-1, handing Clark County their first loss of the tournament and dropping the team into the loser's bracket.
On Tuesday, as Clark County was holding off Pine Bluff 7-6 in the loser's semifinal game, Junior Deputy rested.
Junior Deputy wasted little time in taking control of Wednesday's championship game, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning to chase Clark County starter Clay Curry, with two outs and one runner on base.
Joseph Kizer went to the mound and got Junior Deputy third baseman Brock Ashford to ground out to end the inning.
Kizer lasted into the top of the sixth before he gave way to Ethan Crocker. Kaleb Cogburn finished up for Clark County, taking over in the top of the seventh with one man on base and two outs, holding Junior Deputy to just one final run in the last inning.
Clark County went down in order after getting a single from Chad Wilson in their final at-bat.
Junior Deputy added single run in the fourth inning and tacked on three more runs in the fifth before pushing the final run home in the seventh.
Mayborn Peters and Christian Cooley scored two runs each to lead Junior Deputy while Tyler Campbell, Chris King, Owen and Ashford added single runs.
Clark County scored in the bottom of the third when Shawn McDaniel used an error to get on base and worked his way around to score. Casey McNabb and Caleb Jones each scored in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Junior Deputy banged out 15 hits in the game.
Junior Deputy opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over Sheridan and then, in the first meeting between the two teams, dropped Pine Bluff 10-2. Pine Bluff was the District 7 champions.
That set up the winner's semifinal game and the 7-1 victory over Clark County.
Tuesday night, Pine Bluff rebounded for a 4-1 win over Sheridan and then turned around to play Clark County.
The Forrest City 13s finished third at the district tournament and finished 1-2 in the state.
Forrest City defeated Jacksonville in their first-round game before losing to Clark County and Sheridan.
The Little Rock Junior Deputy team was comprised of Chris King, Dylan Owen, Tyler Campbell, Jim Manney, Joseph Glancy, Drew Tullas, Mayborn Peters, Brock Ashford, Phillip Lay, Christian Cooley, Michael Marsh, Casey Jenkins, and Coaches Brad Ashford, Rick Jenkins, Bruce Chucoski and Alex Chucoski.
Junior Deputy advances to the Babe Ruth Regional Tournament, set to begin July 30, in Monticello.
WYNNE -- The annual WynneBall youth baseball tournament is set to open play Friday at the Wynne Complex.
The tournament features teams playing in age divisions from T-Ball through 15-under.
Games will begin in each age division, except T-Ball, Friday at 6 p.m. All age groups will play double elimination brackets except T-Ball, which will play a round-robin style.
The T-Ball teams will open play Saturday at 9 a.m.
The tournament will continue play through Sunday's afternoons championship games and both sides of the sports complex will be used.
The pitching machine division (8-under) features seven teams and includes Batesville, Searcy, Marion, Jonesboro and Wynne while the 10-under bracket features Wynne, Jonesboro, Walnut Ridge, Benton, EPC and Batesville in the nine team division.
The 12-under beacket is comprised of nine teams as well and includes Wynne, Jonesboro, Bald Knob, Paragould, Searcy, Little Rock, McCrory and Walnut Ridge. The 13-15-year-old age division has six teams and includes Paragould, Wynne, Marion and Pocahontas.
Three teams make up the T-Ball bracket. For the first time in several years, there are no Forrest City teams in the WynneBall mix.
JONESBORO -- The Coca-Cola's players may have Jonesboro emblazoned across the front of their jerseys but it's still hard to figure out what team is going to show up.
Jonesboro (18-10) plays fifth-seeded Newport tonight in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament at 6:30 p.m. at Nettleton's Raider Field with the winner advancing to play top-seeded Trumann Friday at 12:30.
Third-seeded Wynne, which knocked off Jonesboro in Tuesday's district finale, takes on Forrest City Post 4 in today's other first-round game at 4.
After starting the season 8-0, Coca-Cola sputtered down the stretch and now enters today's Zone 2 AA District American Legion tournament as the fourth seed in the six-team field.
"Lately we've played good, then don't play good," Coca-Cola coach Josh Allison said. "It's like Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. What team is going to show up and play? When my guys come to play, they're hard to beat."
Playing was a problem in itself for Jonesboro, which has never developed any rhythm after having 14 games rained out and two other teams drop out of the conference.
Now this could be their last chance for the year.
Right-hander Ryan Belcher is expected to get the start on the mound in today's first-round game against Newport, a team that beat him while gaining a split with Coca-Cola during conference play.
In his last outing, Belcher allowed just two unearned runs in a hard-luck 2-0 loss to Trumann.
Trumann finished 8-2 in district play to win the regular-season title and earn a bye into Friday's winners' bracket. Right-hander Clint Trigg has been tough on the mound, coming off a complete-game shutout of Coca-Cola.
The tournament is up for grabs with four teams finishing within three games of each other. Searcy finished second with a 7-3 record while Wynne was 6-4, followed by Jonesboro at 5-5.
The semifinals will be Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and 6 with the championship starting Sunday at 2.
The adult men's softball league will wrap up the regular season tonight at the Sports Complex.
The make up schedule of games begin at 7 p.m.
Tonight's final games should determine the outright league champion.
Gym 2000 sits in first place alone as the night opens followed by Middle Busters in second and Kerby's in third place.
The adult men's and women's district tournament will be played Saturday at the Sports Complex.
Approximately 20 Forrest City youths, third grade through eighth grade, attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Basketball Camp held this week at First Baptist Church and First Methodist Church in Forrest City. The camp concluded Wednesday with the presentation of first and second-place awards in several different competitions. Forrest City native and former Hendrix College basketball coach Cliff Garrison organized the camp and worked with the youths one-on-one. Camp volunteers included former and current Forrest City Mustang basketball players.
The Union Planter's Bank T-Ball League team finished second in the recently played postseason tournament at the Sports Complex. Union lost to Boar's Head in the tournament's championship game last week. Union Planter's Bank team members are: Brett Forrester, Justine Brown, Lucas Whittenton, Colton Russell, Gracie Isringhouse, Joni Fleming and Emily Isringhouse. The team was coached by Jerry Forrester and Joel Isringhouse.
Alyssa Aldridge, Melanie Cook and Carrie Shepard, who were all members of the Forrest City Lady Mustang Cross County team last season, recently attended the University of Tennessee Track and Field Camp in Knoxville. The three will return to the Lady Mustang team in the fall.