DECATUR -- What started as a promising season for the Decatur Bulldog baseball team ended sadly with a loss to the Shirley Blue Devils in the 1A-1 Regional baseball tournament in Harrison May 4.
During the district tournament in Harrison April 27 against the Alpena Leopards, Jay Porter bruised his leg while attempting a slide. The umpire ejected Porter from the game for inappropriate language. A few plays later, another Decatur player was ejected from the game for the same reason. Questioning the calls, Decatur athletic director John Unger and Coach Porter tried to appeal the decision, citing an Arkansas Activities Association rule that required the umpire to issue a warning before ejecting a player. The AAA upheld the ruling and both players were benched for the regional tournament.
With Jay Porter out of the contest, Coach Porter was forced to go to both of his relief pitchers, Leng Lee and Jimmy Mendoza. Decatur lost its first round contest to the Shirley Blue Devils, 11-0, ending its 2017 season with 5-4 overall, 4-2 conference and 0-2 tournament records.
Sports on 05/10/2017