By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
There was plenty of youth baseball played over the weekend with several area traveling teams competing in USSSA sanctioned tournaments at two different locations.
Wynne Complex hosted the Speed The Light Grand Slam tournament, which helped benefit the Assembly's of God Youth Outreach Program while Southaven hosted the Game Day Prospects Showcase tournament.
At Wynne, the Forrest City 11-year-old Travelers team played their way into Sunday's championship game where they ran into a tough Twin City travelers team, losing 6-3, to finish runners-up in their age division.
The second-place finish equalled their best effort in four previous tournaments this season.
Forrest City won four straight games to get to Sunday's final beginning with a 6-4 win over the Memphis Red Devils on Friday and then downing Memphis Force 7-1 and Paragould 15-1 Saturday to qualify for Sunday's championship round.
The Travelers defeated Coca-Cola/West Plains 10-0 in Sunday's semifinal, earning the right to face the Twin City Travelers.
Forrest City led 2-0 after one inning before Twin City tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the second and then plated three runs in the third to lead 5-2.
Twin City scored their final run in the fourth and Forrest City added a run in the fifth to make the final.
Leslie Parker went the distance for Forrest City, giving up the six runs on 11 hits while striking out five.
Akeem Bogart scored twice for Forrest City while Corey Deere added a single run.
Adam Kelley earned the win on Friday while Zach Morris and Bogart combined in the win over Memphis Force.
Parker got the win over Paragould while Mikey Carlo earned the decision over Coca-Cola West Plains.
The Travelers team was comprised of Deere, Bogart, Josh Brock and Parker, all of Forrest City; Zach Trail, Will Trail and Morris, of Wynne; Kelley from McCrory; Carlo from Marion and Tyler Byrd from Blytheville. The team was coached by Scott Deere, Robert Byrd and Mike Morris.
In the 13-year-old division at Wynne, the Forrest City Fireballs finished 2-2, falling short of reaching the championship game on Sunday.
The Fireballs opened pool play in the tournament Friday night at Addison Field with a 13-0 shutout win over Cross County.
They lost a close game to Memphis Force, 7-6 in the first of two games on Saturday, rebounding that afternoon to defeat the Arkansas Gators 14-4.
A 4-2 loss to the Memphis Force on Sunday sent the Fireballs home.
Chance Pearson picked up the pitching victory in the 13-0 win over Cross County while Findley Scott Laws and Barrett Beshears worked the first loss to Memphis.
Seth Smith got the win over Arkansas Gators while Pearson and Beshears took the final loss against Memphis.
The Lucas Trucking Bulldogs went 0-4 in their stay in the tournament, playing from the 12-year-old AAA bracket.
Lucas lost to the Jonesboro Yard Dogs twice -- 10-1 on Friday and then 15-4 on Sunday. Saturday, Lucas fell to the Memphis Eagles 6-5 and lost to Searcy Truman Baker 16-5.
The Forrest City Colt/Travelers played from the 12-year-old AA division and finished 1-5.
The Colt/Travelers lost to the Arkansas Outlaws Friday 17-4 but bounced back Saturday to defeat the SMC Colts 7-4. The team fell to Paragould Saturday night 17-2 and then lost to the Diamond Cats 22-1.
On Sunday, the Colt/Travelers fell to Paragould a second time.
The Colt/Traveler players included Ryan Green, Davyon McKinney, Anthony Guyton, Latarian Johnson, Larry Smith, Chatman Tucker, De'andre Leak, Devin Green, Davaris Johnson and Cedric Barber, all of Forrest City.
*The East Arkansas Yard Dawgs (Widener) finished fourth in the 7-under coach-pitch division at the Game Day Prospects Showcase at Southaven over the weekend.
The team defeated the Memphis Tigers 9-8 Friday and split their two Saturday games, losing to the Mississippi Mustangs 21-7 and then downing Team Memphis 17-5.
The Yard Dawgs fell to the Memphis Travelers 14-9 in Sunday's championship round.
The Mississippi Mustangs defeated the Memphis Travelerrs 17-6 in the finals.
In the eight-year-old division, the East Arkansas Ridge Runners finished 2-2, defeating the Liberty Braves from Nettleton, Miss. 15-7 Friday and Team Conxion from Hernando, Miss., 23-15 on Saturday.
The team lost to the North Mississippi Mustangs 15-7 and to the Delta Dodgers from Greenville, Miss. 17-16.
The Dodgers went on to defeat the DeSoto Cardinals from Olive Branch 21-2 to win the age division.
In the 13-under AAA age group, Arkansas Concrete finished 0-3, losing to the Tuscambia (Ala. Tigers 15-12 on Friday; Team Memphis 15-3 and Outlaws baseball from Olive Branch, Miss. 10-3.
Team Mizuno from Codova defeated the Tuscambia Tigers 17-12 in the finals.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Easley Law continued its winning ways Friday night and became the first five-game winner in the Minor (pitching machine) League.
Easley downed Arkansas Electric Outlet 7-3 to stay unbeaten at 5-0 and in sole possession of first place in the league standings.
Easley scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added single runs in the second and third before closing out the win with two runs in the fourth.
Arkansas Electric Outlet had eight of its first 12 batters strike out before finally getting on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Isaac Wilburn led off the inning with a solo home run. Terion Smith and Jared Sidle each scored in the top of the fifth for the Outlet team.
Seth Parker and Damond Watson led Easley by scoring two runs each while Weston Hess, Tanner Hess and Tavian Banks scored one run each.
Tanner Hess and Watson each belted home runs in the game.
Lions Club evened their season mark at 2-2 Friday using a 6-3 win over Food Giant to do so.
Ryan Jayroe and Alex Martin each scored twice to lead Lions Club while Cody Garner and Kirby Alderson scored one run each.
Alderson hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning to cap the Lions Club scoring.
Food Giant got runs from Brandon McNutt, Calvin Ray and Colton Hodges.
Leslie Construction remained in control of the Bambino 9-10 League Friday by edging First National Bank 5-4.
Leslie moves to 5-0 in the league while First National loses for the second straight time and falls to 2-2.
Both teams entered the fourth inning locked in a scoreless tie before Michael Ludwig singled, stole second and third and scored on an errant throw to give First National a 1-0 lead.
Leslie tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Hunter McLean scored.
First National plated three runs in the top of the fifth when Hakeem Palmer, Mercedes Smith and Kye Tillman each scored to take a 4-1 lead.
Leslie answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the win using runs by Blake Lester, A.J. Renigar and Joseph Tripp.
Joeys' Muffler got its first win of the season Friday in a big way by scoring a 22-15 win over Taco Bell.
Antonio Peters led Joey's by scoring four runs. Three Joey's players -- Marlon McShan, Corey Robichaud and Richard Tempell each scored three runs while Jowaan Mitchell, Kerrie Barden and Draylon Willis scored two runs each.
Taco Bell got runs from Xavier Clardy, Maurice Bradley, Danarius Fingers, Otis Brown, Elbert Hamilton, Michael Brimley and Harris.
Sanyo moved to 3-2 for the year with a forfeit win over Pearson Insurance.
Food Giant also improved to 3-2 with a 20-5 thumping of Giffin's Grins.
Brian Morgan scored five runs for Food Giant while A.J. McKnight crossed the plate four times. Cameron Weeks added three runs while A.J. Martin, Cameron Smith, Malik Avant and DeVantri Garza added runs.
The divisional leaders stayed the same in the girls' 10-under slow pitch softball league Friday.
Walker Insurance and Forrest City Bank stayed unbeaten at 5-0.
Walker leads the National Division while FCity Bank owns first place in the American Division.
Walker held off Dr. Schwartz 11-10 by scoring the five-run limit in the top of the third to lead 11-7 and then held Schwartz to just three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Mary Burks, Micahla Burns and Kelsey Morris each scored twice for Walker while six other players added single runs.
Katie Davis and Samantha Kearns scored for Schwartz.
Kayla Qualls led Forrest City Bank by scoring twice and got help from Emma Gadberry, Kaylin Roberts, Julia Glasper, Callie Robichaud, K.K. Heard and Eryn Laws in a 10-6 win over Food Giant.
Iyana Butler led Food Giant by scoring twice.
Southern Furniture improved to 3-2 for second place in the National Division, by turning back True Value 11-10 Friday.
Southern led 5-2 after one inning and 10-5 after two innings.
True Value, playing with just seven players, got three runs from Courtney Harris and two runs from ShaKerria Barber and Fredenzia Smith.
Southern countered with two runs by Lori Ratton and Brandi Morgan and single runs from Jade Haymer, Lenora Cannon, Linetta Ivey and Brihanna Ware.
Sanyo improved to 2-3 for the year with a 12-5 win over Stevens and Children's Clinic crushed B&E Tires 15-6.
Rodshanik Brown and Courtney Hodges scored three times each for Sanyo. Kaitlyn Peterson hit a home run for Stevens.
Melanie Haynie, Tecola Hicks and Stephanie Baskins each scored twice to lead Children's Clinic.
Wednesday is the final day to sign up for either theForrest City elementary or junior high basketball camp, set for this summer at Mustang Arena.
The elementary boys and girls' camp will be held June 7-10, for students going into the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in the fall.
A boys' and girls' junior high camp is scheduled for June 14-17, for those youths entering seventh, eighth and ninth grade in the fall.
At both basketball camps, the girls will meet from 8 until 11 a.m. and the boys will have the afternoon session, from 12 noon until 3 p.m., each day.
Cost per student, for each camp is $20.