Archive - Sports Article
June 8th, 2011
Arkansas State pitcher and Benton native Andy Ferguson was selected in the 18th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 2011 MLB draft.
“I’m relieved,” Ferguson said. “It feels great. I don’t even know how to put into words of how I feel right now.”
Ferguson was the 546th overall pick in the draft but as of press time he was unsure of the details of his contract. The Kansas City organization was supposed to call him Tuesday night with the details, but Ferguson said through a text message that he had not heard from them yet.
June 7th
The Benton Everett GMC AA Legion baseball team defeated Little Rock Blue Post but lost to Pine Bluff in Saturday’s tournament at Pine Bluff High School.
Everett scored a run in the first inning, five in the second, one in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth to defeat Blue Post 10-9 in the first game. Blue Post scored a run in the fourth and eight in the fifth.
Dylan Oliver pitched three innings, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Holden Hanley pitched one inning, but allowed six runs on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.
June 6th
The Benton Junior Legion team Sport Shop lost three straight games in a tournament in Jacksonville including a 6-5 loss to Rosebud, a 8-5 loss to Jacksonville and a 11-0 rout to Sheridan on Sunday.
In Sunday’s game against Sheridan, Sport Shop managed just three hits while Sheridan scored 11 runs on nine hits with just one error. Benton’s Tyler Massey had a single in the first inning and Jay Davies had a single in the second.
Tyler Turbyfill had a single in the fifth inning to account for all three hits. Braxton Zimmerman reached on a walk in the second inning.
June 4th
BENTON — It didn't take long for Bauxite senior Tristan Rogers to find her groove. Before Friday's annual charity basketball game, Rogers said "it had been a while" since she had shot the ball or played.
It didn't seem to matter though as she scored three points off the bench in the first quarter and would finish the game with about 14 points, including four three-pointers.
Rogers, an all-conference player for the Lady Miners, said afterward, "You never lose it."
May 26th
Bauxite senior Tanner Bates was honored this week by being named by the Arkansas Activities Association to the 2011 All-State Team.
Two Lady Miners, seniors Elizabeth Harris and Haley Davis, were given All-Conference honors, as were three of Bates’ teammates: sophomores Tyler Willis and Chris Revas and junior Ryan Weng.
Bates, 18, the son of Robert and Lisa Bates, signed a letter of intent earlier this month to play at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock,
May 25th
Two Glen Rose student-athletes were given All-State honors Tuesday, and several were named All-Conference.
Senior Hollie Boles and sophomore Kylie Shepherd were named to the 2011 All-State for the 3A conference.
Boles had a .468 batting average on the season with two doubles, three triples and three home runs, driving in a total of 18 runs.
Shepherd batted .508 with nine doubles and driving in 17 runs.
May 23rd
CONWAY — The Conway Wampus Cats won their first 7A State Title since 1989 by defeating the Bryant Hornets Sunday 12-3 in seven innings thanks to a complete game by tournament MVP Connor McClain.
“It feels awesome and we had a great time,” Conway head coach Noel Boucher said. “This is our sixth time to be here and a couple of bounces here or there, things would have been different.
“I’m just real pleased with the effort tonight.”
Conway scored seven runs in the top of the second.
May 21st
In a true roller-coaster ride of a ball game, the Benton Lady Panthers lost 7-5 Friday to Searcy in the 6A State Tournament championship game.
The Lady Lions won their first state title at Bogle Park on the University of Arkansas campus behind pitcher Amber Rollins, who struck out 11 Lady Panthers and was named Most Valuable Player.
Down 7-2 late in the game, Benton scored three runs in the fifth inning to cut Searcy's lead down to two. However, Benton was unable to capitalize with runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, resulting in a runner-up finish after a great season.
For the second straight year, the Bryant Lady Hornets are coming home with a 7A State Championship trophy.
Bryant beat North Little Rock 11-1 Saturday in Fayetteville behind an outstanding pitching performance from Peyton Jenkins, who was named Most Valuable Player — also for the second year in a row.
Jenkins didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. She ended the day with 10 strikeouts, giving up one unearned run on three hits.
May 20th
Like their softball counterparts, today the Bryant Hornets look to accomplish a rare feat in high school sports: back-to-back championships.
Bryant (23-6, 10-4 7A Central) takes on its conference foe, the Conway Wampus Cats, in the 7A State Finals at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Central Arkansas.
