FOOTBALL ASU quarterback to transfer
Arkansas State operated with five quarterbacks during spring practice. When fall practice begins in August, it’ll have one less.
Dezmond Stegall is transferring to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, a two-year school in Miami, Okla., ASU confirmed Thursday.
Stegall, from Searcy, would have been a redshirt sophomore for the Red Wolves in 2014. He signed with ASU in 2012 under former Coach Gus Malzahn, and redshirted that fall. In 2013, he was moved to safety during spring practice but did not record any statistics.
He played quarterback this spring under new Coach Blake Anderson, completing 4 of 7 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in ASU’s spring game on April 18.
- Troy Schulte
BASKETBALL UALR adds junior college guard
Alexius Dawn has signed a national letter of intent with the UALR women’s basketball team, the school announced Thursday.
Dawn, a 5-4 guard, spent the last two seasons at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, where she started all 59 games and averaged 36 minutes per game.
She averaged 14.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game with 113 assists last season. As a freshman, she made 120 steals and had 160 assists.
Downs will help fill the void left by departing guard Taylor Ford, who started 103 career games over four seasons for the Trojans. Her signing brings UALR’s recruiting class to three players, after Alivia Huell of Malvern and Monique Townson of Kansas City, Mo., signed in October.
BASEBALL Dickey-Stephens to host benefit game
Vilonia and Mayflower, two schools devastated by Sunday’s tornadoes, will play a varsity baseball game at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on Tuesday, with all proceeds benefiting their cities.
Admission to the game will be free, but donations will be collected by each high school’s cheerleaders. All proceeds from concession sales will go directly to those affected. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. with the first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Mayors James Firestone of Vilonia and Randy Holland of Mayflower will throw out the ceremonial first pitches.
SOFTBALL SAU, Henderson State win in GAC opener
Southern Arkansas defeated Arkansas-Monticello 9-3 while Henderson State defeated Arkansas Tech 6-2 on Thursday in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament in Bentonville.
Southeastern Oklahoma State defeated Ouachita Baptist 1-0.
SAU (33-23) scored twice in the first inning and seven times in the second. Sarah Higginbotham opened the scoring with a two-run double to right center. In the second inning, the Lady Muleriders sent 11 batters to the plate.
The Cotton Blossoms scored three times in the third inning.
Hanna Gill (10-3) pitched her ninth complete game of the season for SAU. She struck out seven.
Henderson State (29-23) scored twice in the second inning thanks to two errors by Arkansas Tech. The Golden Suns tied the game on a two-run home run by Whitney Robinson.
Henderson State scored twice in the fifth and added two more in the sixth.
Southeastern Oklahoma (36-15) scored the game’s only run against OBU in the eighth inning when Rachel Jones’ bunt scored Lauren Renneker, who opened the inning with a single, moved to second on a walk and to third on a sacrifice bunt.
Mindy McElroy pitched eight scoreless innings for the victory.
Harding (32-24) defeated East Central (Okla.) 4-3 in 10 innings when Amanda Berdon hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th to score Jessica Greene.
Amber Rolllins (18-11) pitched her 22nd complete game of the year, allowing 7 hits and striking out 5.
In an elimination game Thursday night, Arkansas-Monticello (27-29) defeated Arkansas Tech (31-27) 8-6.
Sydney Tipton and Brittany Eitel hit solo home runs in the fifth to force a 4-4 tie. Arkansas Tech took a 6-4 led in the bottom of the fifth on a squeeze bunt and an RBI single.
In the sixth inning, Lacy Blanchard had an RBI ground out to pull the Cotton Blossoms to within 6-5. In the seventh, Channing Tharpe hit a solo home run to tie the game at 6-6. After an error, Beth Johnson had an RBI single for the game’s go-ahead runs.
Arkansas-Monticello plays Harding or Southeastern Oklahoma at 11 a.m. today.
In another elimination game Thursday night, Southern Arkansas scored six times in the second inning to defeat Henderson State 8-0.
The Lady Muleriders (34-23) sent 11 batters to the plate in that inning with Chelsea Ivy delivering a two-run double and Maddy Dow hitting a home run. Hanna Gill picked up her second victory of the tournament, striking out eight in five innings.
Southern Arkansas will face either Southeastern Oklahoma State or Harding at 3 p.m. today.
FISHING Linter leads Bassmaster Elite event
Jared Linter of Arroyo Grande, Calif., leads after the first day of the Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend at the Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, La.
Linter caught five fish totaling 25 pounds, 7 ounces. J. Todd Tucker of Moultre, Ga., is in second place with 25 pounds.
Jacob Powroznik is third with 24-14, Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif., is fourth with 22-6 and Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., is fifth with 22-4.
Mark Davis of Mount Ida is 26th with 17-14. Stephen Browning of Hot Springs is 32nd with 16-14 and Mike McClelland of Bella Vista is 39th at 16-1.
OUTDOORS Shooting sports complex unveiled
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the city of Jacksonville, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday on a state-of-the-art shooting range facility at the intersection of Loop Road and Graham Road in Jacksonville.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex will be used for shooting sports and archery and is the largest of its kind in the state with 14 trap ranges, three skeet overlays and a learning center. The ceremony was attended by supporters of the range’s mission, including Gov. Mike Beebe.
“We are proud to celebrate the opening of this one-of-a-kind facility,” said Randy Milligan, chairman of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. “This range will provide public access to shooting sports for many groups.”
Sports, Pages 29 on 05/02/2014