Watson’s slam helps lift Rebs
Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, April 23, 2013
By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur
LAPLACE – Riverside coach Kristy Hebert kept her cool as her Rebels remained tied with host Kinder, 1-1, after four innings of the Class 2A regional round playoff matchup between the teams.
But entering that fifth inning, she let her team know in no uncertain terms that it was time to perform. And perform they did.
Madison Watson’s grand slam highlighted a seven-run fifth inning, one that all but provided a springboard for the second-seeded Rebels to return to Sulphur via an 11-1 victory on the road.
The Rebels advanced to the state quarterfinals with the win, where DeQuincy awaits. DeQuincy is the No. 7 seed in 2A. It defeated No. 10 Springfield in the regional, 4-3, to advance.
“It was a little nerve wracking with the score tied,” said Hebert. “We were hitting the ball hard, but right at people. So I felt pretty confident, but when it came time for us to bat in the fifth, I told them it was time to step up. Everyone’s seen this pitcher twice now, so make your adjustments. We don’t want this going to extra innings.”
There would be no extra softball, as the top of the Rebels order was up and the Rebels flashed their hitting prowess from leadoff to nine-hole. Consecutive RBI doubles by Destin Vicknair and Erica Delaneuville broke the tie, and another by Hailey Tassin extended the lead to 4-1.
That set up Watson with the bases loaded, and she launched one over the wall to all but put Kinder away.
Vicknair struck out 12 batters and tossed a two-hitter on her way to the win. She walked three.
At the plate, Vicknair went 3 for 5 with two RBIs. Toni Hebert went 3 for 4 with a triple and an RBI. Delaneuville went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Rayne Weber went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Katie Bailey went 2 for 3 with a double.
“We had some big plays defensively that kept everyone kind of pumped up, and I think we started feeding off of that as the game went on,” said Kristy Hebert. “We kept our discipline at the plate, and then Madison hit the grand slam to get us to that high point.”
Riverside added another run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.