MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / April 7, 2000

RESERVE – Brent Rowell and Brad Rodrigue hit home runs and Jeremy Collins pitched a two-hitter as Ridgewood defeated Riverside, 6-3, Thursday afternoon at Fernandez Field.

Ridgewood remained in first place in District 9-2A with a 7-0 record in district and 21-1 overall while Riverside fell to 11-7 overall and 4-3 in district.

With the score tied at three in the top of the sixth, Bryan Sentilles was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After Riverside starter Gus Entremontstruck out Ryan Stopollo, Brennan Bourgeois lined a single to left, sending Sentilles to third. Bryson LeBlanc followed with a fly ball to deep right,scoring Sentilles to make it 4-3.

Ridgewood got two insurance runs off Riverside relievers in the seventh.

Rodrigue opened the inning with a home run to left off Derrick Louque. AfterLane Dugas lined a single off the left field wall, Chris Bourgeois came in and struck out Rowell and Sentilles.

Stoppolo kept the inning alive with a single to right, sending Dugas to third.

Dugas then scored and Stoppolo went to third as Bourgeois doubled into the left field corner, giving Ridgewood a 6-3 lead.

Riverside opened a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning as Entremont walked and Brandon Delaneuville reached on an errant throw to second. ButCollins struck out Casey Remondet, his 11 strike out of the game, to get out of the jam.

“Ridgewood has a really good club,” Riverside coach Marshall Crooks said.

“Any time you face Jeremy Collins, you know you are going to be in a battle.

“But I feel we did some really good things and played together as a team. Ithought Gus did a great job on the mound. They just got a couple of hits lateand we didn’t.

Ridgewood jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Rowell led offthe inning with a home run. Sentilles followed with a single to center, went tosecond on a walk by Bourgeois and scored as Collins blooped a single into shallow center.

Riverside came back to tie the game in the bottom of the second. With twoouts, Delaneuville walked and Remondet followed with a home run over the trees in left field to knot the game at 2.

Riverside had another two-out rally in the fourth. Dustin Duhon kept theinning alive by drawing a walk and scored as Seth LeBlanc drove a double into the left field corner, giving the Rebels a 3-2 lead.

Ridgewood tied the game in the fifth. Collins was hit by a pitch to start theinning and went to third as Jody Vidrine bounced a ground-rule double over the left-center field wall. Rodrigue followed with a fly ball to center, scoringCollins from third and sending Vidrine third. Entremont kept the game tied bystriking out Dugas and getting Rowell to fly out to left.

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