BASEBALL
Cabot rolls in American Legion tourney
Cabot's American Legion Regional Tournament debut couldn't have gone any smoother Wednesday.
Kyler Carmack went 3 for 4 and finished with 2 RBI as the RailCats ran past Gretna, Neb., 7-2 in the first round of the Mid-South Regional at Duncan Field in Hastings, Neb.
Hogan Ralston and Jackson Olivi both went 2 for 3 for Cabot, which followed up last week's state championship victory over Russellville with a dominant performance. Ralston also contributed three RBI.
Cabot scored two runs in the top of the first inning and one in the third before putting together a three-run fourth to take complete control. Gretna did cut into its deficit by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, but the RailCats added an additional score in the sixth and shut down a Dragons' rally in the seventh by completing a double play to end the game.
Ralston picked up the victory on the mound for Cabot, which advances to take on Oak Grove, Mo., today at 4:30 p.m. in the winner's bracket. Oak Grove knocked off Pittsburg, Kan., 9-4 in the first game of the day.
-- Erick Taylor
FOOTBALL
Rhoades stepping down
University of Arkansas defensive quality control coach Rion Rhoades announced his retirement on Wednesday while saying he plans to launching a new business in December in Hutchinson, Kan.
Rhoades, a player at Hutchinson Community College for Coach Sam Pittman in the early 1990s, joined the first-year Arkansas coach as linebackers coach last season.
Pittman shuffled Rhoades' role after the season, bringing in Michael Scherer as linebackers coach and moving Rhoades, a 23-year coaching veteran, to quality control.
"I am so thankful for the wonderful people I have met along the way ... fellow coaches, support staff, players, fans and supporters," Rhoades said on social media."
Rhoades said his new business will launch on Dec. 13.
-- Tom Murphy
GOLF
UALR extends Harrington, Wylie
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced Wednesday three-year contract extensions for men's Director of Golf Jake Harrington and women's Coach Jenna Wylie.
The UALR men reached the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., after finishing second at the Sun Belt Championships and fifth at the NCAA Stillwater (Okla.) Regional. The Trojans ended the year with five top-five finishes in nine events and were ranked 43rd in the GolfStat rankings, the highest national ranking in program history.
The UALR women ended the season with nine top-10 finishes and three consecutive top-four finishes -- including a victory at the Oral Roberts Spring Invitational for the program's first tournament win since 2016. UALR placed seventh at the Sun Belt Championship, ending the year with the fourth-best scoring average in program history, and was ranked 135th in the GolfStat final rankings.
The contract extensions for both Harrington and Wylie run through the 2023-24 season.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services