By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WYNNE -- Wednesday's first game of a scheduled American Legion doubleheader against Wynne is best forgotten, according to Forrest City Post 4 coach Brett Bullard.
"Can we just forget this game ever happened," Bullard said after his Forrest City team lost 16-1, in which Wynne scored 14 runs in the bottom of the second inning. "I'm not used to losing games like that. That is not acceptable. We will do everything we can to try to avoid these kind of games in the future."
Game 2 of the conference twinbill was another loss for Post 4, but was a much better played game as Wynne was able to hold off Forrest City 4-2.
While Forrest City -- with just 11 roster players -- had to use everyone in both games, Wynne sent its 'A' team out to play the second game.
Former Forrest City Legion player Jesse Whitmore took the mound for Wynne in the nightcap while Bullard started Rickey Thorne.
Thorne faced just four batters before being lifted for Cassiday "Catfish" Crossen, who finished out the game.
Crossen allowed three Wynne runs on just two hits and one walk while striking out six and hitting two batters.
Whitmore got the win through seven innings, holding Forrest City to two runs on four hits and one walk. Whitmore struck out six.
Forrest City led 1-0 in the top of the first when Taylor Clark scored from second when Wynne misplayed a hard hit ball by Jason Smith.
Wynne tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Paul Mitchell scored on a bases-loaded walk to Whitmore and took a 2-1 lead when Ben Glenn's RBI infield single scored Whitmore.
Wynne added a run in the third to make it 3-1 before Forrest City got a run from Smith, who drew a two-out walk and scored on Alex Woods' RBI double, cutting Wynne's lead to 3-2.
Wynne added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Josh Hively scored on a passed ball after being hit by a pitch.
Forrest City put two runners on in the top of the seventh when Landon Bullard singled to lead off and Josh Livingston singled. Both runners were stranded when Justin McKissick and Thorne grounded out to end the game.
Crossen took over in the bottom of the first inning with the bases loaded and no outs.
The loss leaves Forrest City at 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the district standings.
Wynne starts 2-0 and 1-0.
The first game, especially the second inning, proved to be a nightmare for Forrest City.
Trailing Forrest City 1-0, Wynne sent 19 hitters to the plate to score 14 runs on eight hits, four walks (two of those with the bases loaded), four errors and two hit batters off two Forrest City pitchers -- Jason Smith, the starter and Livingston.
Wynne led 5-1, had the bases loaded and no outs when Livingston took over for Smith.
Wynne went on to score a single run in the bottom of the third and a run in the bottom of the fourth to end the game under the mercy rule -- 15 runs after four innings.
Wynne pitcher Devin Walker went the distance, giving up the one Forrest City run on three hits and no walks.
Woods and Bullard were the only two Post 4 players with hits off Walker. Woods had two of the three. Bullard scored on Woods' RBI triple in the top of the second for Forrest City's lone run.
Wynne got three runs from Robert Huddleston and two runs each from Chad Holland, Tyler Boeckmann, Corey Ward, Josh Neisler and John Weindel.
Forrest City will travel to Newport on Sunday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
After two years at Pratt (Kan.) Community Junior College, former Forrest City standout forward Deosha Agnew is ready for the next level.
Wednesday, Agnew said she has signed with and is headed to the University of Missouri-Rolla in Rolla, Mo.
A junior-to-be in the fall, Agnew endured and overcame a tumultuous freshman season at Pratt, in which she was dismissed from the team by former Pratt Coach Bill Murry with less than a satisfactory explanation and then later reinstated following a coaching change just before her sophomore season.
She responded by averaging more than 17 points per game for the Lady Beavers, started every game and was second in rebounding in the Jayhawk West Conference.
That caused Missouri-Rolla head coach Alan Eads to sit up and take notice.
Eads, who will be starting his third season at Missouri-Rolla in the fall, said he had three very good reasons for signing Agnew.
"Her athleticism, her scoring ability and her quickness," Eads said. "She will bring those skills and a lot more to our program which will only help us become a better basketball team."
Missouri-Rolla plays from the Mid American Intercollegiate Conference and is a NCAA Division 2 school.
While Missouri-Rolla is not really losing anyone, Eads says there is a need for a guard who can play the two or three position on the floor.
"I think Deosha can be that person for us," Eads said. "We have two sophomores in those positions right now and we will use Deosha to help in that area. We expect her to get a lot of minutes."
Agnew has visited the school and said she was "impressed with thefacilities."
She will prepare for her upcoming junor season by playing some summer basketball, "to stay in shape."
A year ago, Missouri-Rolla started three freshmen and two JUCO players.
Besides Agnew, Eads has signed a point guard from Tulsa, Okla. and a guard from Kansas. He hopes to add two more JUCO players.
A 2002 graduate of Forrest City, Agnew was a three-year starter for the Lady Mustangs and was a AAAAA-East All-Conference selection each of those three seasons.
CABOT -- Palestine-Wheatley's Rashun Barnes was sitting in 12th place following the first day of competition at the Arkansas High School decathlon being held at Cabot's Panther Stadium Wednesday.
Barnes had 3,203 points through five events -- the 100 and 400-meter runs; the long jump; the high jump and the shot put -- placing him 12th .
Mountain Home junior Evan Van Dolah ran the fastest, jumped the longest and scored 4,171 points to become the overall leader after the first day.
Van Dolah scored 1,998 of his 4,171 first-day points in the first two events -- the 100-meter dash and the long jump.
Mountain Home also held down 10th place with Blake Keaster.
Cabot junior Jesse Williams is in second place with 3,924 points. Little Rock Parkview sophomore Donavan Loring is third with 3,657.
Williams distance in the shot 51 feet, 10 inches was -- 11 feet, 5 inches farther than any other competitor. Barnes' effort was just a little better than 35 feet.
Palestine-Wheatley teammate Elijah Duncan was in 28th place after day one with 2,653 points.
Van Dolah began Wednesday with a 100 time of 10.94 seconds for 1,018 points. An hour later, he long jumped 21 feet, four inches, also best in the field.
Today's five events begin with the 110-meter hurdles, followed by the discus, pole vault, triple jump and 1,600-meter run.
Van Dolah finished second at the Arkansas Meet of Champions in the 110 hurdles on May 19.
*Mansfield's Crystal Kemp held a 58-point lead at the end of Wednesday's high school girls' Heptathlon competition.
Kemp, a junior, put up 3,305 points through four events.
The final three events -- the high jump, shot put and 800 meter run -- will be held today at Cabot.
kemp is being pushed by four challengers -- Russellville's Whitney Anderson, Bigelow's Logynn Jones, Springdale's Paige Farrell and Greenwood's Brittney Leftwich. All are within striking distrance of Kemp.
Anderson won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.74. Kemp and Leftwich were the only two other girls to go under the 16-second mark.
Jones was second in the 200, fourth in the hurdles and tied for third in the discus, putting her in third-place overall with 3,187 points.