By ROBERT L. LEE

RESERVE – A somber mood shifted over the Rebels’ squad Monday after the Kinder High School Yellowjackets “shut down” the Rebels’ hitting and their championship prospects in the regional round of playoffs. The Kinder force flew from the mound by the way of sliders, which left the Rebels frustrated and with a total of two infield hits throughout the game for the 4-1 upset. Riverside Academy High School had a final chance to even the score at four points in the bottom of the seventh inning, with two runners on base and the tieing runner at bat, but again the sliding pitches choked the Rebels’ bats with one last strike out.

“You’ve got to give that pitcher all the credit in the world, he shut down a pretty good team,” said Rebels’ coach Davey Clement, who sat quietly with his tearful team. “I guess that’s what we’ll be seeing the next 10 years, curveballs, that’s what did us in. Usually we hit everything.”

Riverside (22-7) completed their first infield hit in the first inning, but couldn’t get a hold of another until the seventh. Clement said he adjusted the Rebels forward in the batter’s box to help drive their left-field foul balls closer to the middle and right fields, but the hits continued toward left field for the easy pop outs.

“We can’t beat anyone with one run,” said Clement. “I think our pitchers battled, but it’s baseball, anything and everything can happen. All we can do is regroup.”

The Yellowjackets will regroup for the quarterfinals, the round they were knocked out in last year, when they were a 1A team. Kinder scored the first run of the game after placing runners on second and third, then put a hit up the middle for the lead. Riverside’s Jordan Remondet closed the top of the inning with a strike out. The Rebels’ first batter, Bradley Hodges, hit the team’s first single, then moved on to steal second base. However, he would stop at second as two pop outs and a throw to first left him stranded. Both teams put three batters up and three down for quick second inning, but the Yellowjackets returned to load the bases with no outs. The Rebels got two batters out, but Kinder was given a walk when the batter was hit by a pitch, allowing the second point to walk home.

The Rebels offense loaded the bases for the first time in the sixth inning on an error and two walks. Britt Waguespack delivered a low hit and was called out at first, but only after T. J. Cancienne crossed home plate to make it 2-1. The third out via another long pop out closed the inning. Kinder received two walks, forcing the Rebels to give Remondet a break from the mound and send up D. J. Fortenberry. However, an immediate hit to the center field wall sent in the two Yellowjacket runners for the 4-1 lead.

“We took some defensive cuts instead of offensive, but again, you’ve got to give their pitcher credit,” said Clement.