Greene County Tech too much for Blue Devil bats
Eagles take two from West Memphis with dominant pitching
By Ralph Hardin
ralphhardin@gmail.com.com
PARAGOULD — The West Memphis Blue Devils had no answer for GreeneCounty Tech all-star pitcher senior Karley Burrows who came within two batters of a perfect game in Game One of last Monday’s double-header between the Devils and the Eagles on the road in a 5A East contest in Paragould.
Game One Eagles 17, Blue Devils 0
Burrows, who helped lead the Eagles to a spot in the 5A State Championship Game last season, has picked up right where she left off in 2023, and the West Memphis girls did well just to foul a handful of pitches off against her.
Of the 10 batters she faced in GCT’s 17-0 shutout of West Memphis, eight were retired by strikeout.
On the othe side of the game, the Eagles blasted 13 hits off of West Memphis starter Jordyn Hightower and rolled to an easy win.
Game Two Eagles 17, Blue Devils 2
The second half of the double- header was a little more competitive than the scorebook might indicate, as West Memphis was in contention until the wheels came off of the Devils’ pitching in the fifth inning.
Until that point, the score was 5-2 in favor of the Eagles, with West Memphis getting big production from senior shortstop Carlie Steele at the plate. Steele had a pair of hits. Catcher Kayla Shaull had an RBI double as well.
Hightower and freshman Presley Kuhn also had a hit and a walk for West Memphis.
But Greene County Tech exploded at the plate in the fifth inning with a dozen Eagles crossing the plate capped by a three-run
See DEVILS, page A13
Photos by Ralph Hardin DEVILS
From page A6
Night as well for Greene County Tech.
While both teams took the field, there was a bit of a damper on the affair as both teams’ neighbors to the south and west in Wynne were still working through the aftermath of last Friday’s storms. The Blue Devils wore blue and yellow Yellowjacket-themed ribbons in their hair to show their support for Wynne High School, which was destroyed in the tornado. The team also hung a Wynne Yellowjackets tshirt in their dugout.
West Memphis also played the game without assistant coach Keenan Jumper. He and his wife’s home in Wynne saw major damage from the storm and he was absent as they dealt with that situation.
The Blue Devils will return to action this Monday evening at home in 5A East action, taking on the visiting Searcy Lions in a double-header with both teams looking to move into contention for one of four playoff spots from the tough conference. First pitch from Tilden-Rodgers Park is set for 4:30 p.m.
