By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

RESERVE — Riverside won two out of three games at its tournament last weekend, then banked a district victory over Clark to get to 20 wins on the season.

The Rebels (20-6, 5-1) defeated Clark, 16-0, Thursday in three innings. Riverside scored all 16 of its runs in the first inning of play.

Last weekend, the Rebels toppled Destrehan, 15-2, and South Beauregard, 8-0. Riverside fell to Mount Carmel, 1-0, in eight innings.

Riverside opened the weekend with their win over South Beauregard (8-18), one in which Destin Vicknair had a big day at the plate and on the mound. With her bat, she went 3-for-4 and collected six RBIs; that was more than enough to supplant her arm and the Rebel defense. Vicknair pitched a two-hit complete game shutout and struck out five.

Taylor Terrio and Toni Hebert each went 2-for-4 in the game.

The Rebels were held to two hits, however, against Mount Carmel (17-8). Vicknair took the loss despite striking out 13 batters and giving up just four hits.

Hailey Tassin and Taylor Terrio collected the hits for RA.

RA bounced back against Destrehan (18-9) though, scoring in every inning but one. Riverside finished the game with six runs in the final inning to slam the door.

Katie Bailey went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Vicknair was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of doubles. Erica Delaneuville was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, and Kori Bourgeois went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

“I was happy with the way we played overall at the tournament,” said Riverside coach Kristy Hebert. “We hit it well against South Beauregard and our bats really came back to life against Destrehan … We didn’t execute at the plate against Mount Carmel. But overall, we swung it well. The hope is it’s a positive sign heading into the playoffs.”

Riverside returns to action today as it goes on the road to face Belle Chasse. Monday, the Rebels will face Curtis on the road in a game that will decide the District 10-2A championship (A Rebels win will earn a split title with the Patriots, who defeated Riverside on Mar. 27). Then, Tuesday, Riverside goes on the road again to face Vandebilt Catholic before returning home Wednesday to play Hahnville.

It’s a brutal stretch to end the season — each of the four Rebel opponents have 20 wins or more — and Hebert hopes it prepares her team for a postseason run.

“You can’t win a championship in your backyard,” said Hebert, referring to the road-heavy slate. “It’s a good test for the kids. You get better as a team by playing quality teams on the road, and all of these teams fall under that.

“Defensively, we were excellent throughout our tournament. I thought we played very well. The main thing is that we need our bats to get back to the level they were at early this season.”