Rain stops more spring events

Perhaps the most consistent aspect of the area spring-sports season has been rainouts.

Adverse weather Friday forced the postponement of four sets of Garland County conference baseball and softball games. Hot Springs at Camden Fairview, Lake Hamilton at El Dorado and Ashdown at Fountain Lake were rescheduled for Monday.

Lakeside's softball game at Hope was moved to May 4. A new baseball date has not been decided because the Rams are scheduled to play Vilonia May 4 in Conway at the University of Central Arkansas.

Instead of a road doubleheader, Hot Springs will play one game at Camden with Fairview coming to town May 7. Hot Springs athletic director Jim Gentry said he expects Hot Springs' home game with Lake Hamilton, set for Monday, to be rescheduled.

In soccer, Lake Hamilton rescheduled with Pine Bluff on Monday and Lakeside with Hope, for its senior-night match at Austin Field, to Friday. Gentry did not expect Hot Springs' nonconference boys match at Monticello to be rescheduled.

*While Lake Hamilton's and Lakeside's baseball squads battle for favorable state-tournament seeds, Fountain Lake will be seeded sixth in the 4A-7 tournament at Arkadelphia regardless of Monday's outcome. At 2-4 in conference after Monday's 8-3 win at Mena, the Cobras can tie Malvern in the standings but would yield the No. 5 seed to the Leopards after losing their head-to-head meeting 6-3 last week.

Fountain Lake opens tournament play Wednesday against Mena or Waldron, both winless in league play and with the Cobras routing Waldron 10-0 in six innings.

A first-round win would match Fountain Lake with Bauxite or Nashville, whichever is seeded No. 3, for a spot in the state tournament. The Cobras lost 5-0 to Bauxite and 15-5 to Nashville, pitcher Cole Jones leaving with an injury in the third inning against the Scrappers.

Fountain Lake coach Josh Wesson is especially leery of facing Bauxite's Ben Madison, who struck out six Cobras in three innings of relief.

"Both (prospective quarterfinal opponents) are tough, but the Madison kid is really tough," Wesson said. "We didn't sniff him. In tournament play you have to get hot. If we get hot we can do something."

*The 3A-5 tournament also opens Wednesday, seventh-seeded Jessieville playing Perryville at 5 p.m. at Haskell Harmony Grove. The Lions and Mustangs tied Episcopal Collegiate with one conference win apiece, Jessieville edging fourth-seeded Glen Rose 3-2.

Perryville defeated the Lions 7-6. The winner plays No. 3 Bismarck, which defeated Jessieville 12-2.

"We're hitting the ball well," Jessieville coach Jamie Saveall said. "We can hit the ball with anybody the pitching just isn't where it needs to be right now. That happens when you're pitching sophomores and ninth-graders."

* Lakeside (12-6) regained sole possession of third place in 5A-South with White Hall's 4-1 loss Thursday to first-place Magnolia Thursday. The Rams are 7-3 in league play after Tuesday's 7-6 loss at White Hall, the Bulldogs falling to 6-4.

Magnolia is 9-1 and Watson Chapel 8-2. Magnolia defeated Lakeside 3-2 last month, the teams meeting Friday at Lakeside.

The Rams split with Watson Chapel, losing 10-8 and winning 4-3. They also split with White Hall, winning the first game 6-5.

Lakeside rebounded from the loss to White Hall for Thursday's 5-4 win over Arkadelphia, scoring its runs in the seventh.

"We needed it for the psyche of our kids," coach Jay Darr said. "They're teenage boys, and sometimes it's a roller coast. The good thing about it right now is we've got some seniors trying to step up, and we're a different group than we were three weeks ago. Three weeks ago we would not have (rallied vs. Arkadelphia). They've matured over spring break."

Fairview and De Queen each has four league wins. Lakeside defeated Fairview 10-3 at home, and goes to Camden May 8. The Rams swept De Queen.

* In soccer, the season's second Spa City Derby between Hot Springs and Lakeside is Tuesday at the Trojans' Reese Memorial Stadium.

Sports on 04/25/2015

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