Diamond Devils celebrate Senior Night

West Memphis baseball bids farewell to Class of 2019 players

WM School District Tom Hanks taught us more than 25 years ago that there’s no crying baseball.

But there were a few tears shed Thursday at Tilden Rodgers Complex.

Moments after the West Memphis Blue Devils closed out their season with a 16-0 victory over Memphis Kingsbury, the team said goodbye to five seniors during a postgame ceremony.

Seniors Lance Burch, Chavarris Adaway, Mason Kearney, Trey Brossett and Carlson Bennage were honored during Senior Day activities with their parents and Blue Devil coaches.

“These guys are special because they’re my first group,” said Blue Devil first-year head coach Josh Fortner. “This is a group of players that wanted to keep getting better and better.

I’ll have nothing but fond memories of them.”

The Blue Devils had no trouble dispatching an over-matched group of Kingsbury Eagles. The hosts put the double-mercy rule on them, 15 runs after three innings. However, umpires and coaches agreed to let Kingsbury bat in the fourth inning in order to give each Blue Devil senior their moment coming off the field for the final time in their careers.

“This group of guys was so acceptable to coaching,” Fortner added. “When we told them to do something, they did it. I’m excited to see how they transition into becoming husbands and fathers.”

West Memphis hit Kingsbury with a six-spot in the first inning on RBI hits from Adaway, Burch and ninth-grader Peyton Voyles.

Another run was added in the second when Burch, who singled with two outs, was brought home on a single from junior first baseman Owens McConnell.

The Blue Devils finished off Kingsbury with nine runs in the third with the help of shoddy fielding by the visitors, two hit batters and run-scoring hits from Burch, Brossett and Kearney.

Starting and winning pitcher Carlson Bennage pitched three innings of nohit ball and struck out seven. Lefty Cade Bell closed it out by retiring Kingsbury in order in the fourth.