SPORTS

FORREST CITY — The ONE Razorback Roadshow made a stop yesterday in Forrest City. The event featured Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek, members of the spirit squad and band, and Big Red. Matt Zimmerman, color analyst for Razorback men’s basketball radio broadcasts and co-host of the Razorback...

WYNNE — The Wynne Yellowjackets are back on the gridiron for the start of spring football after a challenging first year for coach Clay Totty. The Jackets finished the 2023 season 5-5-1 and made the playoffs, which should be considered an accomplishment following the tornado. “I was proud of...

WYNNE — Brayden Mattox took home three major awards at the Wynne athletic awards program last night at the Wynne High School auditorium on the temporary Wynne High School campus. Mattox was named the winner of the Coach Don Campbell Memorial Scholarship, the Wynne Sportsworld’s Lindell Staggs Character Award,...

PALESTINE - Woodlawn could never figure out Riverside pitcher Klaire Womack as she pitched a no hitter to lead the Lady Rebels to a 5-0 win over the Lady Bears in the Class 2A state semifinals Saturday afternoon at Palestine-Wheatley High School.Womack and the Lady Rebs have been nearly perfect this season as they advance to the state championship game with a 27-1 record. Their only setback this year was a 13-0 loss to Green County Tech, a team which advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals on Saturday. Woodlawn Coach Synthia English, who was filling in for head coach Kyle Thaxton (see related story this issue), had high praise for Womack."As a junior, she is phenomenal," English said. "Her movement is crazy. You can only do one of two things, you can either scoot up (in the batter's box) and get in close, or you can stay normal… That girl can just swing it. That rising ball is just beautiful." Woodlawn batters did move to the front of the box to get in front of Womack's movement, but English said the pitches were coming too quick to make much contact.Over the first three innings, it looked as though it was going to be a pitching battle between Womack and Lady Bears ace Lilly Faye McWhorter.The only hit over the stretch came from Womack herself when she was sent an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence to give the Lady Rebels a 1-0 lead.As the game wore on, it became evident that McWhorter was starting to struggle. McWhorter was sidelined for the final three weeks of the regular season with a nagging injury. She became active again during the regional tournament, used mostly in relief roles before getting to start in the regional finals. After retiring the first two batters she faced in the fourth inning, McWhorter gave up a walk and then Riverside's Ryley Eakins doubled into right. Both runners end up scoring off a fielding error to give the Lady Rebs a 3-0 lead. McWhorter returned in the fifth inning, and after the leadoff batter reached on an error, she retired…

PALESTINE - Magnet Cove's Mailyn Tanaka hit a two-strike, two-out homerun in the top of the seventh inning to lift the Lady Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the Rison Lady Wildcats in the Class 2A quarterfinals last Friday afternoon at Palestine-Wheatley High School.It was a hearbreaking loss for the Lady 'Cats as they came out on the short end of a pitching duel between Rison's Josey Edwards and Magnet Cove's Bella Harville.Tanaka was 0-for-2 in the game when she stepped to the plate with two out in the top of the seventh. She had flied out and struck out in her previous two appearances at the plate, and was working a 2-2 count when she made contact and sent the ball sailing over the left field fence.Rison put itself in position to perhaps tie the game in the bottom of the seventh when freshman Riley Hyatt had a two-out double, and Layne Potter was then intentionally walked to put two aboard. However, a fly ball to right ended the game.The Lady Wildcats led for much of the game. Three consecutive singles from Josey Edwards, Carlese Johnson and MacKenzie King allowed Edwards' courtesy runner, Elissa Summar, to score and give Rison a 1-0 lead.Magnet Cove tied it in the top of the fifth when Kynsli Brashears' led off with a single, and then scored on Izzy Sawyer's one-out double, making it a 1-1.The Lady Wildcats had some other scoring opportunities in the game, but were unable to cash in.In the first inning, Edwards and Johnson had back-to-back singles with two out before a strikeout ended the inning. Haven Simpson then started the second with a lead-off single but could never advance.Both pitchers had some success controling the opposing batting order.Up until Tanaka's dinger with two out in the seventh, Edwards had given up just four singles without a walk, and had struck out two. Magnet Cove's Harville allowed seven hits and one walk while striking out four.The loss brought an end to a turnaround season for the Lady 'Cats, who had won 14 straight and 19 of their…