By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

In 2002, the last time Riverside won a softball state championship, the Rebels played two nine-inning games and an eight-inning game in the postseason.

So, could Saturday’s eight-inning win over Menard in the regional round of the Class 2A playoffs be an omen?

Riverside Coach Mickey Roussel hopes so.

“There are eight teams left. The top seed (Evangel) just lost, so maybe there’s an opportunity there for us,” Roussel said.

In this, Roussel’s final season as head coach of the softball team, he already has one moment from this season that will likely forever be etched in his mind – his daughter Kelsi’s game winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday lifted the Rebels over the Wolves, the Class 2A runner-up a year ago.

But his team could lift him to the ultimate sendoff this weekend in Sulphur at the State Softball Tournament, where they will be three wins away from another state crown.

It begins at 6 p.m. on Friday at Frasch Park, where No. 5 seed Riverside (23-13) will face No. 4 DeQuincy (23-9).

Most of the Rebels have been there before. Two years ago, Riverside reached the quarterfinals, where the Rebels fell to eventual state champion John Curtis. The year prior, in 2005, Riverside fell in the quarters in eight innings to South Beauregard.

This year, the Rebels return with a very experienced lineup. Junior Heidi Garcich and senior Brittany Schoen have each proved proficient all year at getting on base, setting the table for senior Marci Millet and junior Ayla Vicknair who bat third and cleanup, respectively. Each have had strong years driving in runs.

Those four veterans form the backbone of a Rebel lineup that has overpowered opposing 2A teams all season long. The Rebels have scored 10 runs or more 11 times this season, and have yet to lose to a 2A opponent in 15 chances.

The Rebels are also quite battle tested, going 6-6 in games against teams in Class 5A, and playing 20 games against teams in Class 3A or higher.

On the mound, Riverside has two reliable options. Heidi Garcich was strong all season for the Rebels before an ankle sprain kept her off the mound for the team’s final 11 regular season games. But freshman Chelsey Stein has stepped up in a big way for the team, and notched the win in each of the team’s first two playoff games. When she pitches, it allows Garcich to move to centerfield, where she was an All-District performer a year ago.

DeQuincy was the runner-up in District 4-2A this year to South Beauregard, yet is seeded higher in the tournament. The Tigers have won eight of their last 11 games.