SULPHUR — Riverside Academy’s potent offense showed itself in Saturday’s Class 2A semifinal game with Winnfield, making clear no lead was completely safe against the Lady Rebels.

But on this day, a game Tigers squad mixed with some costly mistakes spelled the end of Riverside’s championship chase.

RA erased a 9-3 deficit via a five-run fifth inning but couldn’t complete the comeback, Winnfield advancing to the 2A championship game with a 9-8 victory Saturday afternoon.

Winnfield, the No. 11 seed, will face No. 5 Menard  in the 2A championship game.

RA led 1-0 early after Erica Delaneuville’s solo home run in the second inning, but Winnfield answered with a five-run third after loading the bases with no outs. Two runs scored on an error to give Winnfield the lead, and the Tigers scored twice more on illegal pitch violations.

Winnfield scored four more runs in the fourth, highlighted by Anna Beth Johnson’s two-run double, to make it 9-3.

Two Riverside runs scored on Janie Milioto’s two-run double in the fifth inning, while Madison Watson, Delaneuville and Lindsey Oubre each drove in runs, as well, to cut it to 9-8. But the Rebels couldn’t plate another over the next two innings, and Winnfield sealed the victory.

The Rebels (21-6) have finished as at least a state semifinalist in each of the past five seasons. The loss snapped a 17-game win streak.

Riverside defeated Many 2-1 in a quarterfinal game Friday to advance to the season’s final day.

See Wednesday’s edition of L’OBSERVATEUR for more details from the weekend’s action.