By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Opening game jitters. Not enough practice time with everyone on the field. Too many errors and not enough hitting.
Each of the four areas plagued the Forrest City Post 4 American Legion team in their season-opening game against Trumann/Valley View Tuesday night.
The result was an 8-0 loss in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader.
"Mostly, it was the errors," said Post 4 Coach Brett Bullard. "We committed 12 errors in the game. Not having enough practice time with the team as a whole probably didn't help either."
Bullard said in the days leading up to the season opener, he was having a hard time getting all the players to practice.
"We had some on senior trips and others involved with spring football drills and we just had trouble finishing a time when everyone could be here," Bullard said.
Then, there was the lack of hitting, but that was an area of concern for both teams. Forrest City did not get a hit off Trumann/Valley View pitching while the opponents got just one hit off Forrest City.
Forrest City started Curtis Cole, but had to bring Woods to the mound when Cole went down with an early leg injury.
Woods finished out the game with a strong effort. It was the defense behind him that was ragged.
Trumann led 1-0 after one inning and 3-0 after three innings. It was the fourth when the defensive wheels came off for Forrest City, leading to three unearned runs and a 6-0 lead.
Forrest City second baseman Taylor Clark managed to draw a walk in the first game.
In the nightcap, Forrest City was able to shed all of the ills associated with the game one loss to put together an 11-6 win in Game 2.
Bullard sent Cassiday "Catfish" Hankins to the mound to start the second half of the doubleheader.
Trumann/VV took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning but Forrest City tied the game at 1-1 using a lead off triple by Rickey Thorne and sacrifice fly by Justin McKissick.
Hankins worked out of a base-loaded jam in the top of the second which gave Forrest City the chance to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning.
A single and error to put Woods at first base to start the inning and Landon Bullard followed with an RBI triple to make it a 2-1 Forrest City lead.
Clark's RBI single scored Bullard for a 3-1 lead.
Hankins shut down Trumann/VV in the top of the third.
McKissick and David Machen singled to start the Forrest City third and McKissick scored on Jason Smith's sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
Bullard's RBI single brought in Machen for a 5-1 cushion and an error on a hit by Kyle Smith, gave Bullard the chance to score from second for a 6-1 lead.
Jason Livingston took over for Hankins in the top of the fourth inning and finished out to get the save.
Hankins was credited with the win.
Forrest City Post 4 stands at 1-1 for the year and 0-1 in the conference as only the first game of each conference doubleheader will actually count in the league standings.
If the weather holds, Forrest City will travel to Wynne today for a 5 p.m. doubleheader at the Wynne Complex.
"We just need to play," Bullard said. "That will go a long way in helping us come together as a team."
Following today's doubleheader, the team will play at Newport on Sunday before hosting Newport in a rematch on Tuesday, June 1.
Also in June, the team is scheduled to compete in the Creative Edge Classic Tournament at Jonesboro.
Forrest City will be in pool play with Collierville, Tenn., Jonesboro Coke and West Plains, Mo..
Two of the three pool games will be played on the Arkansas State University campus.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Easley Law started slow Tuesday but finished fast in Minor (pitching machine) League action.
The league leaders led only 4-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning against Ridout.
But it turned out to be a good inning.
Easley sent 10 batters to the plate to score six runs on the way to a 10-2 win over Ridout as the team improved to 6-0.
Hartman Diesel continues to hold down second place in the league.
Ridout took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Cody Talley scored. Easley answered in the home half of the inning with a run by Larren Freeman to tie the game at 1-1.
A two-run, second inning and a single run in the third gave Easley a 4-1 lead before Ridout got a run from Ashton Morgan in the top of the fourth to cut Easley's lead to 4-2 before Easley's big inning.
Freeman, Justin Guyton and Seth Parker each scored two runs for Easley while Tavian Banks, Weston Hess, Roy Like and Yoshi Ogawa scored one run each.
In the second game of the night, Twillie's Tigers won for the second time this season, putting away Arkansas Electric 10-6.
Both teams were tied at 1-1 after the first inning and Ark. Electric took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second and made it 4-1 with two runs in the third.
The Tigers plated two runs each in the bottom of the third and fourth innings and ended the game with a five-run, fifth inning.
Tajuan Whitby led the Tigers by scoring four times. Dwain Whitfield and Tyren Bean scored twice while Anthony Jenkins and Jaquore Marrs added single runs.
Marques Casey scored three runs to lead Arkansas Electric while Terion Smith and Isaac Wilburn scored one run each.
Thursday's games has Ark Electric facing Ridout at 6 p.m. and Hartman taking on Lions Club in the late game.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Taco Bell had the Bambino 9-10 League leaders on the ropes Tuesday night.
With their backs against the wall, Leslie Construction held off Taco Bell 15-13 to improve to 6-0 in the league.
Trailing 15-4, Taco Bell scored nine runs in the top of the fourth inning and had the tying run standing at second base when the third and final out of the game was made.
Leslie opened a quick lead over Taco Bell, scoring nine of their 15 runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Joseph Tripp and Corey Leslie each scored three runs to lead Leslie while John Gilbreath, T. Giles White and Nathan Standridge scored two runs each.
Leslie hit a two-run homer in the first inning.
Hunter McLean, James Pendergrass and Blake Lester scored single runs.
Damoni Franklin and Ladarius Hollis led Taco Bell by scoring three runs each. Danarius Fingers scored twice while Xavier Clardy, Robert Lee, Elbert Hamilton, Cody Rice and Maurice Bradley scored one run each.
Pearson Insurance (4-1) remained in second place in the league using a 9-3 win over Food Giant.
Scott Gracey led Pearson with two runs while Adrian McKnight, Brian Morgan and A.J. Martin scored single runs for Food Giant.
Sanyo rolled over Giffin's Grins 18-8 Tuesday to move to 4-2 for the year, good enough for third place in the league.
Nine of Sanyo's 10 starters scored led by Matt Jumper and Matt Lansford with three runs each and James Alldredge, Austin Kennedy, Jarrod Wright, Ethen Mathes and Malik Moseby with two runs each.
Kyiler King, Philandus Watson and Melvin Taylor led Giffin's with two runs each.
Kye Tillman and Jordan Chatters scored three runs each as First National Bank exploded past Joey's Muffler 18-7 Tuesday night.
The win puts FNB at 3-2 for the year.
Zane Walton, Dalton Quinn, Darrien Green and Hakeem Palmer scored two runs each.
Joey's got as close as 10-5 using a five-run second inning before FNB closed out the game by out-scoring Joey's 8-to-2.
Kerrie Barden scored twice to lead Joey's while Richard Tempell, Jawaan Mitchell, Marlon Mcshan and Antonio Peters all scored single runs.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Walker Insurance and Forrest City Bank continued their winning ways Tuesday as each team recorded victories in the girls' 10-under slow pitch softball league.
Both teams improve to 6-0 and lead their respective divisions -- Walker in the National and FCity Bank in the American side.
Walker downed Food Giant 6-3 while FCity Bank rolled past Dr. Schwartz 12-1.
Southern Furniture defeated Children's Clinic 10-4 to stay in second place behind Walker.
Sanyo downed B&E Tires 10-4 and Stevens had an easy time against True Value, winning 15-8. Both teams are 3-3 in the league standings.
Jade Haymer hit a home run for Southern and scored twice.
Lindsey Smith and Rodshanik Brown scored two runs each to lead Sanyo.
Stevens got runs from 10 of their 11 roster players, led by Mollie Laws, Sydney Peterson, Kaitlyn Peterson and Charnell Mayo, each scoring two runs.
Ashley McArthur scored twice for True Value.
The 12-under and 16-under fast pitch leagues are scheduled to play Thursday night.
Hughes High School will once again sponsor and host the "Blue Devil 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament" Saturday, June 5, at Blue Devil Gym.
The tournament will feature teams playing from three different age divisions -- 21-years and older; 13-20 and 13-under.
Entry fees are $60 per team and the deadline to enter the tournament is June 4.
The tournament field will be limited to the first 16 teams in all divisions.
All proceeds will defray the costs of sending the Hughes High School boys basketball team to a summer camp at Harding University.
For more information about the tournament, contact Jason Carmichael at 870-339-3927.
An Old-Timers game will be played at 6 p.m., June 5, following the completion of the tournament and will include many former Blue Devil players, including Lonnie Smith, who recently signed with Harding.
Hughes will also hold a Basketball Camp, May 31-June 3, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon for boys entering fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh grade. The fee is $20 per camper.