Big fourth inning leads Rebels over Comets in ‘Classic’ final

Published 12:00 am Friday, February 29, 2008

By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Riverside entered last weekend’s Comet Classic coming off of its first win of the season, and left it with it’s fourth – and a tourney crown to take with it.

That’s because the Lady Rebels defeated Assumption, Academy of our Lady, and rival and tourney host St. Charles to take first place and extend its winning streak.

“It’s a big positive for us, for us to go get wins against three upper classification schools,” said Rebels Coach Mickey Roussel. “St. Charles is very good, so to play well against them showed a lot. We played some good softball.”

Each game in the round-robin style tourney was a five-inning contest.

Riverside secured the tournament with a 4-1 win over St. Charles on Friday in their final game.

Neither team could muster a run through three innings.

But Riverside took the lead for good in the fourth when a triple by Heidi Garcich brought two runners home to make it 2-0.

Brittany Schoen and Marci Millet each added  an RBI of their own to give the Rebels a 4-0 lead.

St. Charles scored a run in the fifth when Courtney Western scored on a single by Emily Bourgeois, but couldn’t rally to tie it up.

“We missed out on some opportunities early on. But it didn’t get us down, and we were able to get four in the fourth. They put some pressure on us in the fifth, but we made some plays when we had to.”

The Rebels’ Heidi Garcich (3-0) took the win, her second of the day. Garcich allowed only three hits and went all five innings.

“It was a good sign for her and for us, pitching in both games effectively. It’s something she’s going to have to get used to,” Roussel said. “She did a good job.”

 Ashley Trosclair (4-1) started for St. Charles and took her first loss of the season.

Garcich was 2-for-3 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Marci Millet was 1-for-1 with a triple. Ayla Vicknair was 2-for-3.

“Riverside’s a very good opponent,” said St. Charles Coach Ty Monica. “They took advantage of a few of our mistakes, and really never looked back.

Monica said that it was just another chapter in the strong rivalry between the schools.

 “People come out and watch because of the rivalry we’ve built here,” he said. “It’s a good rivalry because you know you’ll get the best out of your own players and the opposition, and that adds to the excitement.”

Riverside notched its second win of the tournament over Academy of our Lady, winning 5-2.

Cara St. Amant (1-1) took the win for Riverside, allowing five hits.

The Rebels scored all five of their runs in the second inning.

Millet led the was with a triple and two RBIs. Garcich went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Vicknair went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Stephanie LeBlanc was 2-for-3 with a double.

Riverside’s first win of the tourney came over Assumption, 5-1.

Riverside scored two in the first inning, one in the second and two in the fifth.

Garcich won her second game of the season and first of the day on the mound. She went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple.

Millet was 1-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. Schoen was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.