By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

When Aerosmith released “Walk this way” years ago, it’s doubtful that this is what they had in mind.

Thursday’s crucial district clash between District 10-2A leader John Curtis and second place Riverside was a wild one in every sense of the word, with the teams combining to issue 22 walks.

But Curtis was able to cash in just a little more on its free passes. As a result, the Patriots are now firmly at the head of the district race after a 14-8 win at Riverside.

Curtis (16-8, 6-0) now leads Riverside by two games (9-16-1, 4-2) with four left for each team. The teams will not meet again, the victory on Thursday wrapping up a sweep of the Rebels.

“It’s huge for us,” said Patriots Coach Johnny Curtis. “We haven’t been in this position in the last two seasons. Now, we’re the ones being chased. We’re the rabbit.”

While each team’s pitching struggled with the strike zone at times, the Rebels’ true Achilles’ heel was a poor defensive effort that contributed to 11 unearned runs crossing the plate.

“We didn’t make any plays,” said Riverside Coach Britt Waguespack. “There’s no secret to this game. When you make too many errors, and walk too many batters, you don’t win.”

Each team brought its sluggers to the fray. They combined for six home runs – three apiece.

One of those blasts came off the bat of the Patriots’ Matt Stansbury in the second inning. With Curtis already leading 3-2, his drive over the centerfield wall put his team ahead 6-2.

Undaunted, the Rebels fired back in the bottom of the inning. After walks by Colby Vicknair and Wade Delaneuville, Jake Roussel smacked a home run to right field to draw the Rebels close, 6-5.

The Patriots extended their lead in the fourth to 10-5, with a two-run triple by Conner Mullins being the big hit. It came after a throwing error to first base allowed the inning to continue with two outs.

Solo home runs by Delaneuville and Timmy Teague in the bottom half of the inning had the Riverside faithful thinking comeback. But Curtis virtually slammed the door in the fifth, scoring four more runs – all after an error with two outs – capped by Stansbury’s second home-run of the game, this time a 3-run shot that made it 14-7.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a lot today,” said Delaneuville. “We just have to fight back. As long as we get to the playoffs, we have a chance. That’s what we have to move on to.”

The loss to Curtis snapped a four-game winning streak for the Rebels, which was capped on Tuesday by a 16-0 win over district foe Lusher (0-10, 0-5).

Dylan Becnel notched the win, after throwing two innings of perfect ball. Delaneuville hit a home run for the Rebels.

“I was just trying to get a hit,” Delaneuville said. “I didn’t have two good at-bat’s before that. I just wanted to drive it into the gap, and I got a hold of it.”

    Delaneuville put the district-winning streak into context with the rest of the Rebels’ season.

    “Right now, we’re just having fun,” he said. “We had no confidence earlier in the season. Like the coaches told us, when you get to district, it’s a new season. Now we’ve been playing like we’re capable.”