By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Walker Insurance Coach John Burks was checking his jersey following Tuesday's 9-8 win over Stevens.
He was looking for a bulls eye.
"It feels like we have one painted on both sides of our jerseys," Burks said. "Are you sure you don't see one?"
Walker managed to stay unbeaten in the girls' 10-under slow pitch softball league, but just barely.
Trailing 8-4 going into the bottom of the fourth, Walker needed five runs to get to 8-0.
It was touch and go. The first two hitters went down on strikes before Heaven Jackson walked and Mary Burks singled bringing Kelsey Morris to the plate. Morris, with a two-strike count, connected for a two-out, three run home run to center field, as Walker got within one run at 8-7.
TeJerra McClinic doubled to left and Bailey Hunt drew a two-out walk. That brought Haley Meeks to the plate, who worked Stevens starting pitcher Kaitlyn Peterson for a full count walk to load the bases.
That prompted Stevens coach Mallory Nimocks to bring Breyunna Williams to the mound to pitch to Briana Burke.
"My strategy in the game was to pull my pitcher if she walked two in a row," Nimocks said. "Kaitlyn pitched a good game but she was done and she was shaken. They (Walker) are a good hitting team. I think she got a little rattled after the home run."
Nimocks' strategy was good, it just didn't work out the way he had hoped. Burke, showing good patience at the plate, drew a bases-loaded walk to force in McClinic to tie the game at 8-8 and leaving the bases loaded as Maurielle Hunt singled home Bailey Hunt for the game-winning run.
Stevens led 3-0 after one inning and 6-3 before Walker scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to get within 6-4.
Stevens added two runs in the top of the fourth to lead 8-4.
Williams and Charnell Mayo scored twice for Stevens while Shelby Birchfield, Sara Beth Blaylock, Sydney Peterson and Mollie Laws scored single runs.
Mary Burks, Morris and Jackson scored twice for Walker.
Walker leads the National Division of the league while Stevens is holding down third at 4-4 for the year.
"I felt like going into the game we had a chance to win," Nimocks said. "We have been playing well."
In other 10-under action Tuesday, Southern Furniture slipped past B&E Tires 11-10 to improve to 5-3 in the National Division, good enough for second place.
Lori Ratton scored three times for Southern while Jade Haymer added two runs, one of those a home run. Keviece Lee and Linetta Ivey also scored two runs for Southern. Jada Haymer hit a third inning home run.
Krishanna London and Kamona Phillips led B&E Tires.
Dr. Schwartz got three runs from Dajar Wynne, Casohnny Lumpkin and Breanna Eppes in a 14-8 win over Sanyo Tuesday.
Lindsey Smith and Rodshanik Brown scored twice for Sanyo while Kirbi Stotts, Natalie Turner and Ahsaki Ivory scored single runs.
Both teams are 3-5 for the year.
Food Giant stayed in second place in the American Division using a 13-7 win over Childrens Clinic.
Iyana Butler, Diamondnique Lacy and Briana Parchman led Food Giant by scoring two runs each.
Childrens got two runs from Aneshia Chism and single runs from Tecoria Hicks, Whitney Baskins and Gambia Mosby.
Forrest City Bank improved to 7-1 Tuesday and stayed in first place in the American Division side of the league by being awarded a forfeit win over True Value.
The 12-under and 16-under fast pitch leagues will play Thursday night as will the adult women's slow pitch league.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It took almost to the stroke of midnight to complete Tuesday's American Legion doubleheader at the Sports Complex.
Forrest City Post 4 was hosting Newport Kell Motors in the twinbill which started at 5:30 p.m.
Newport earned a 3-0 win in the first game, as Forrest City's Josh Livingston went the distance on the mound for Post 4.
It was a little more one-sided in the second game with Newport taking a 15-2 victory against three Forrest City pitchers.
In the first game, Newport scored all three runs in the third inning using two walks and an error.
Livingston scattered six hits in the loss. Forrest City mustered only five hits in the game and never really threatened, getting only one runner, newcomer Clyde Kennedy to third base.
In the nightcap, Forrest City broke through to score a pair of runs -- one by Catfish Crossen and one by David Machen.
Newport, however, used 10 hits to put up the 15 runs. Seven of the 15 came in the third inning.
Post 4 sent Crossen. Landon Bullard and Taylor Clark to the mound in the second game.
Forrest City will take today off before beginning play Thursday morning at the Creative Edge Classic at Jonesboro.
Post 4 will play its first two pool play games on the Arkansas State University field before moving to Nettleton High School to finish the first round.
The tournament will continue through Sunday.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Travelers youth baseball team went 0-3 in pool play over the weekend at the Memorial Day USSSA NIT Tournament played at Southaven.
The Travelers, playing from the 11-under age division, lost to the Rogers Travelers in the first game 4-1 and then fell to the Reservoir Bruisers 17-5 in Saturday's first game.
The Alabama Outlaws, who finished second in the division, handed the Travelers a 17-0 setback, keeping the team from advancing to Sunday's final round.
Knoxville's Thunder Gold defeated the Outlaws 5-4 in the championship game.
The Travelers were coming off a second place finish at the Speed The Light Tournament played a week earlier at Wynne.
In upcoming tournaments, the East Arkansas Yard Dawgs, an 8-under traveling team from Widener, will play at the Huey's School Out Celebration, June 4-6 as will the 10-year-old East Arkansas Bandits and the Travelers.
There are no area teams involved in the June Jam or the Snowden Grove All Star Classic, scheduled for later this month.
Hartman Diesel moved to 7-1 for the year with a 17-8 win over Arkansas Electric in Minor (pitching machine) League play.
Ridout defeated Lions Club 8-1 in the late game.
Hartman got the win using only six players while Arkansas Electric had just eight.
Zach Morris led Hartman by scoring five runs. Colby Hight, Ethan Deere and Chandler Walton scored four runs each.
Terion Smith, Tanner Jackson and Isaac Wilburn scored two runs each to lead Arkansas Electric.
Ridout, 3-4 for the year, got two runs from Ashton Morgan and Andre Hancock and single runs by Aaron Cole and Trenton Steen.
Ryan Jayroe scored Lions Club lone run in the first inning.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Food Giant pulled the upset Tuesday night in the Bambino 9-10 League knocking off previously unbeaten Leslie Construction 14-9.
Food Giant led 4-1 after two innings and 7-2 after three innings before Leslie scored three times in the fourth to make it 7-5.
Food Giant plated two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 9-5 advantage before Leslie scored four times in the sixth to cut Food Giant's lead to 14-9.
Leslie falls to 7-1, but remains in first place in the league.
Calvin Hodges, James Pendergrass and John Gilbreath led Leslie.
Cameron Smith, Brian Morgan and Jolan Britton pounded home runs for Food Giant.
Morgan scored three runs while Britton, Smith and Devante Hurst scored two runs each.
In other Bambino league games played Tuesday, it was Pearson Insurance taking a 14-9 win over Taco Bell and First national Bank rolling up Giffin's 23-8.
Kyiler King led Giffins while Jacob Tittle, Michael Ludwig and Jordan Chatters scored four runs each.
Tittle hit two home runs in the game while Ludwig and Mercedes Smith hit one home run each.
First National scored 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning and addded six runs each in the second and third.
Taco Bell got runs from Maurice Bradley, Ladarius Hollis and Denarius Fingers while Tray Hancock scored three runs for Pearson.
Antonio Sanders, Dekovan Fleming, Quentin Funches, Waylon Brown and Fred Carter each scored two runs.
Sanyo improved to 6-2 for the year with a forfeit win over Joey's Muffler.
Tournament champs
The Forrest City Fireballs 13-year-old youth baseball team won the Minor League championship Sunday at the Super Series Tournament at West Memphis. Team members are: Quintarius Powell, Jared Northcutt, Mark Machen, Seth Smith, Nathan Jefferson, Jerome McDaniel, Markese Ware, Chance Pearson, Findley Scott Laws, Evan Daugherty and Barrett Beshears. The team is coached by Terry Laws, Jim Machen, Ronnie Beshears and Randy Pearson.
Forrest City Lucas Trucking won the 12-under division at the Super Series Tournament played at West Memphis over the Memorial Day weekend. Team members are: Henry Henderson, Brandon Moton, Jim Bailey, Derek Buchanan, Darius Banks, Shardario Logan, James Humphrey, Louis Driver, Bruce Heard, Dominique Madden, Chandler Sorrells, T.J. McFadden., John Jones and Shane Knox. The team is coached by Jim Bailey, Roy Hancock and Nick King.