By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

RESERVE – Hahnville softball coach Kenneth Vial smiled and shook his head after his team’s 6-3 come-from-behind victory at Riverside Tuesday night.
“People thought we were done,” he said. “But I kept saying that wasn’t the case.”
Vial seemed to be talking about his team’s prospects this season as a whole after a Tigers team that advanced to three consecutive Class 5A championship games and won the whole thing in 2011 saw most of its core graduate after last season.
But he might as well have been talking about his Tigers fortunes on this specific night, one that saw his Tigers (7-1) score four runs  in the top of the seventh inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit. The Tigers were down a run and into the bottom of their order, while Riverside pitcher Destin Vicknair had retired nine consecutive batters.
But with one out, eighth hitter Kelly Ortego laced a single to center field, then ninth hitter Maddie Fremen bunted her way on after the Rebels mishandled the ball.
That brought up the top of the order. Taylor Hogan reached on an infield single, then Kaylyn Morales singled home the game-tying run with the bases loaded.
The bases still loaded, Lauren Simar came up and took a walk to force home the go-ahead run. Then the Riverside defense fell apart, committing consecutive errors on balls put in play by Maeson Martindale and Pepper Baker, allowing two more runs in to make it 6-3.
“We didn’t want to lose this thing,” said Simar, who went 2 for 3 on the night. “We knew (Riverside) was a very good team. But we all felt like we’d come back, and we kept our spirit up even after falling behind.”
Riverside (5-2) had 14 total baserunners on the night to Hahnville’s 12. The Tigers had just five going into the seventh inning, where HHS added seven to that total.
“We’re down one against a great pitcher and a really strong team. So you know you’ve gotta go earn it,” said Vial. “I told them that in this spot, I hate to take a strike. Put the ball in play and see what happens. Come out and take some hacks.”
Riverside coach Kristy Hebert was disappointed in her team’s late execution, particularly given how well the Rebels had played through a hot six-game start.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Hebert. “We fight back from being down 2-0, came out and got a lead and had seven, eight and nine up for them. We’re in perfect position.
“But to come out and mentally fall apart and make the errors we did, with the experience we have, it’s completely unacceptable.”
Hahnville’s Lauren Beadle went all seven innings to earn the win. She allowed 10 hits and walked five while striking out two. Martindale stole two bases for the Tigers. Seven different Tigers collected a hit.
Riverside’s Taylor Terrio went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI while Destin Vicknair was 2 for 2 with a pair of walks, reaching base in all four of her at-bats. Rayne Weber went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Erica Delaneuville went 2 for 3 with an RBI, and Hailey Tassin singled and walked twice to reach base in three of four at bats.
Vicknair allowed eight hits and walked one batter over a complete seven innings of work. She struck out one.
Hahnville took an early 2-0 lead after singles by Simar and Martindale; on a double steal, Simar scored on a throwaway pickoff play by Riverside. Baker laced a single to the outfield that a diving Terrio nearly came up with in center.
Riverside answered with a run in the bottom of the first when a Delaneuville base-hit scored Terrio, who singled to lead off.
Terrio’s fourth inning RBI double scored Weber to tie things up. In the fifth, Weber put RA ahead 3-2 after singling in Kayla Lott, who was running for Tassin.