By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – One by one, St. Charles coach Ty Monica congratulated his Comet softball players for a job well done.

Looking every bit as impressive as their now 19-3 record would indicate, the Comets hammered out a 5-0 victory over district rival Riverside to clinch honors as District 9-2A champion.

“With this rivalry, you just never know,” said Monica. “That’s what makes it what it is. (Riverside) is a really good softball team that’s going to do a lot of damage, but we played well today.”

After failing to capture its district in 2009 (SCC finished behind eventual state champion Lutcher in District 9-3A), SCC was hungry to nail down the crown this season.

“It’s like I just told the girls, no matter what happens, you’re the 2010 9-2A champions,” said Monica. “No one can ever take that away … That’s one of the goals you set. If you’re not putting a lot into that, then what are you putting it into? Each of them gets that patch that says District 9-2A champs that will be on their letter jackets forever.”

St. Charles would down Haynes 15-0 at JPRD Playground on Wednesday to finish its district schedule a perfect 8-0.

Courtney Western (14-1) had another sterling effort on the mound, tossing a two-hit shutout while striking out 14 and walking only one. At the plate she also collected two hits.

“We’ve been preparing for this game and we knew what we had to do,” said Western. “(Winning district) is really exciting, just to know that it’s a goal we set for ourselves and worked really hard toward.”

Both Western and Riverside pitcher Destin Vicknair cruised through the first two innings, but St. Charles landed a big blow in the third inning thanks to the bat of Megan Louque.

With one out, Jaymie Remondet walked, Western laced a single to center and Dominique DiCarlo loaded the bases on an infield hit. That set up Louque, who drilled a bases clearing double to make it 3-0.

“I got up to bat with a job to do,” said Louque. “I knew I had to execute there.”

That alone was more than enough wriggle room for Western, who struck out the side in the fourth and five of the next six Rebels she faced. But SCC’s hitting wasn’t done. In the fourth, Katie Duhe singled and Remondet walked with two outs. A Western single plated Duhe to make it 4-0.

The Comets added their fifth and final run in the sixth, again with two outs, when DiCarlo followed a Remondet single and a Western walk with an RBI single of her own to center.

Riverside (16-8, 4-2) saw its best chances to score in the first and the sixth innings. In the first, Taylor Terrio led off with a single and Vicknair would be hit by a pitch with two outs, but Western struck out Kelsi Roussel to avoid any damage.

In the sixth, Shea LaFountain doubled with one out, but SCC stranded her at second.

The two teams haven’t had time to linger on this result, not with the beginning of the Riverside tournament yesterday, which pits each team against three quality opponents. The Comets have matchups with Lutcher and Covington early next week, and Riverside will end its season with a clash with 2009’s 4A champ, Belle Chasse.

But St. Charles will be entering on a high.

“Everyone’s so excited,” said Louque. “We always want to beat Riverside, and to do it for a district title .. we’d worked toward it for a long time.”