State-bound Patriots play for regional title
For the fourth time in the past six baseball seasons, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots have played their way into the state tournament.
On Friday, at the 3A-3 Regional tournament being played at Dover, the fourthseeded Patriots automatically qualified for the upcoming Class 3A state baseball tournament with 14-3 first round win over No. 1 seeded Baptist Prep.
Hunter Hill, who was recently offered and accepted an athletic scholarship to play baseball at Central Baptist College in Conway, went the distance on the mound for the Patriots and earned the pitching win over Baptist Prep.
Hill gave up the three runs on six Baptist Prep hits, all singles, a pair of walks and recorded eight strikeouts, five of those looking.
Baptist Prep scored a single run in the fifth inning and two in the sixth.
Conner Teal, P-W's leadoff hitter this season and AllConference selection for the just completed varsity season, was 3 for 5 at the plate with a pair of singles and a double scoring one run.
Hill helped his own cause going 2 for 5 with one run. Austin Varner led the Patriots with three runs while Brodie Bass, Tre Guthrie and Jesse Watlington each scored two runs. Jared Cook, Jacob Hickman and Grant Ball each plated one run each.
Returning on Saturday for a semifinal regional game, the Patriots played the role of postseason heartbreaker against DeWitt taking a 13-3 win over the Dragons.
DeWitt tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth before P-W answered with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Tra Guthrie drew a walk, which led to a run, giving the Patriots the lead and moving P-W into Monday's regional championship game which will determine the No. l and No. 2 seeds into the state bracket.
In the two regional games, the Patriots outscored their opponents 27 to 6.
Varner earned the pitching victory, holding DeWitt to the three runs while recording four strikeouts.
Bass, Hickman, Varner and Guthrie each scored twice to lead the Patriots while Teal, Hill, Cook, Hickman, Jesse Watlington and James Parson each plated a single run. Hill drove in four P-W runs while Teal came through with two RBIs.
The Patriots scored four runs in the fifth inning and added six more in the sixth inning
The Patriots will face Episcopal Collegiate today in a 5:30 p.m. start at Dover to determine the top two seeds from the 3A-3 into state.
Episcopal, conference mates with Palestine-Wheatley, reached the regional championship game with a 3-2 win over Mayflower and an 8-5 victory over CAC.
The regional champion will wear the No. 1 seed into the upcoming Class 3A state tournament and will face the No. 4 seed from the 3A-4 regional in a first-round state tournament matchup set for Thursday, May 12 at 3 p.m., at Harrison, while the regional runner-up will carry the No. 2 seed into the state bracket.
The Patriots qualified for state tournament play last year 2021, 2018 and 2017. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Before playing their way into the 2017 state bracket, P-W last reached state play during the 2013 season.
•••••
The Palestine Wheatley Lady Patriots closed out their prep softball season last Friday with a first round 11-1 loss to the Atkins Lady Red Devils in the 3A-3 regionals.
Baptist Prep defeated Atkins in the regional softball final to earn one of the top seeds into the Class 3A state softball tournament.
•••••
The Arkansas High School Meet of Champs track meet is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11 at Russellville and will include the Forrest City track teams.
High on the Mustangs radar is the mile relay state record of 3:14.7 still held by Forrest City and set in 1977 by then Mustangs Michael Gray, Clifton Blanchett, Terry Brown and Pat Mitchell.
If the record holds on Wednesday, it will mark the 45th anniversary of the state record setting performance.
The 1977 Forrest City state championship team was particularly notable and incredible since the team had only five participants.