By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs saw more "Red Devils" Tuesday afternoon than they probably wanted to see.
But that was exactly what Jacksonville Head Coach Tanya Ganey wanted...lots and lots of Red Devils or "strikes."
Jacksonville pitcher Jessica Bock was virtually untouchable against the Lady Mustangs in a conference varsity doubleheader at the Sports Complex.
Bock went the distance in both games to lead the Lady Red Devils past Forrest City 7-0 in the first game and 10-0 in the nightcap which ended after five innings under the "mercy rule."
Bock struck out 16 of the 23 Forrest City batters she faced in the first game and then fanned seven in the second game.
She consistently threw the "Red Devils" using her stinging fastball and change-up to keep the Lady Mustangs off-balance.
Forrest City, which now has not scored a run in the past five games, had just two base runners in the first game and three in the second game.
Forrest City falls to 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the AAAAA-East Conference. Jacksonville moves into sole possession of second place in the league with the two victories.
Bock gave up just two hits in the first game -- to Holly Simon and Rashunda Deans -- and only one hit in the second game to Stacy Gracey.
Gracey went the distance for the Lady Mustangs in the first game but took the loss, giving up all seven Jacksonville runs on seven hits and three walks.
In game one, Jacksonville scored three times in the top of the second and added single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings to set the final.
Megan Towner scored twice for Jacksonville while Terrica Hinton, Justin Rial, Shamika Laster, Charreka Connors and Jennifer Rambo plated single runs.
Mallory Nelson took the mound for Forrest City in the second game and following a bout of first-inning wildness, settled down to throw one of her best games of the year.
"Jacksonville definitely had some trouble adjusting to Mallory," said Lady Mustang Coach Pam England. "Her pitches drop off at the plate and that kept the Jacksonville hitters guessing. We didn't do our part to generate any offense to back up her pitching."
Nelson is working her way back into pitching form after having some minor surgery on both hands.
"She is getting stronger which is good, because we need her on the mound for us," England said.
The Lady Red Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning against Nelson, but did so using three walks and only one hit.
Nelson silenced Jacksonville in the bottom of the second before giving up two runs in the third as Jacksonville extended their lead to 5-0.
A four-run, fourth inning by Jacksonville put the game out of reach as Nelson gave up three hits and one walk and the Forrest City defense committed two errors. Only two of the four Jacksonville runs were earned.
The Lady Mustangs made some noise in the top of the fifth when Gracey singled to lead off and Chari Agnew walked, as Gracey moved to third base.
Rachael Sims used a fielder's choice on a slow roller back to Bock to get on base as Gracey was cut down at the plate trying to score on the play.
"I thought we were going to finally score a run on that play," England said.
Nelson allowed the 10 Jacksonville runs on six hits and six walks and had three strike outs along the way.
Bock opened the second game by retiring the first 12 Forrest City hitters she faced to set the tone.
Jacksonville ended the game under the 10-run after five rule when Connors scored from third on a routine ground out.
"Bock is the best pitcher we have faced this year, no doubt," England said. "And we have seen some strong pitching in the past couple games. We haven't seen the variety of pitches that she threw at us."
The Lady Mustangs return to action Friday, when they host the Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots at the Sports Complex.
*Stephanie Whitmore drove the winning run in extra innings on Tuesday, an sixth-inning infield single, scoring Casey Honeycutt and giving Valley View a 3-2 win over Harrisburg in high school softball.
Valley View won the second game 5-1.
Autumn Montgomery pitched a complete game, giving up just three hits and improving to 4-1 on the season.
In the second game, Chasni Land went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI. Jessie Wicker added a 2-for-2 performance with two RBIs.
Emily Riggs threw a one-hitter in the second game, improving to 6-1 on the season.
Valley View improves to 11-2 and 6-0 in the 3AAA-South, while Harrisburg drops to 4-2 in conference play.
*Tricia Welch was 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, and Rivercrest defeated Gosnell 12-2 in five innings of high school softball Tuesday.
Mallory Wilson got the win, pitching all five innings and giving up just two runs on three hits. She also had four strikeouts and no walks.
Cabot kept the Forrest City Mustangs winless in the AAAAA-East Conference Tuesday by sweeping a varsity doubleheader.
Cabot won 15-0 and 10-0 ending each game under the "mercy rule" at Cabot.
The Mustangs fall to 2-7 overall and 0-6 in the conference.
Forrest City will travel to Brinkley on Friday for a nonconference game.
In other conference baseball games played Tuesday, Jonesboro remained undefeated in the AAAAA-East conference, sweeping a baseball doubleheader at Blytheville on Tuesday, 17-2 and 7-2.
Michael Johnson gave Jonesboro (10-6, 6-0 AAAAA-East) a 3-for-3 performance with three RBIs in the opener.
Nick Culpepper went 2-for-3 and scored four runs, while Cody Pace went 2-for-6 with three RBIs. Blake Cobb was 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Jack McGrath went 2-for-4.
McGrath got the win in seven full innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He fanned 13 batters and didn't allow a walk.
Jonesboro had 13 hits and one error in the first game, compared to Blytheville's five hits and six errors.
Jonesboro had nine hits and three errors. Blytheville also had three errors, along with seven hits.
*Valley View scored all three of its runs in the third inning, defeating Trumann 3-1 in high school baseball Tuesday.
Dustin Osment cracked a double, and was followed by back-to-back singles by Matt Hill and Matt Sills. Two wild pitches later, Valley View had all the runs it would need to win.
*Josh McDaniel hit a pair of home runs in a game dominated by the long ball, and Manila beat Harrisburg 16-13 in high school baseball Tuesday.
McDaniel hit a solo shot in the third inning and a three-run homer in the fourth to finish 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Jordan Wise went 2-for-4 with two RBIs off a two-run homer in the second inning. P.J. Brumley scored two runs and cranked two RBIs.
Noah Qualls and Robbie Dorman hit back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning. Brody Heeb followed with a two-run homer in the fifth for Harrisburg, while Zach Witt had a three-run shot in the sixth.
The registration process for the Forrest City youth baseball and softball leagues will run through Monday, April 5, according to program director Kenneth Taylor.
Registration fees for the Forrest City youth leagues are $20 for those youths living inside the Forrest City city limits and $30 for those who live outside the city limits.
Each of the youth softball and baseball age divisions will remain the same this season.
Registration continues for the 2004 adult men's and women's slow-pitch softball leagues.
The women's league has three teams and is in need of at least two more teams.
Girls, ages 18 and older, are eligible to play in the adult women's league.
Taylor said the men's league has 10 teams registered so far and that a few more teams may be added.
nRegistration for the Palestine Youth Softball and Baseball summer leagues began last week and continues through April 16
Registration fees are $25 per child and youths can sign up at Palestine City Hall from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The program is for girls, ages 4-14 and boys, ages 4-12.
For more information, contact Program Director Stan Siler at 581-2469.