MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / March 29, 1999

RESERVE – The Riverside Spring Festival may not have started until Thursday night but the Riverside Rebels were in a festive mood earlier that afternoon.

The Rebels took advantage of 12 walks issued by St. Charles Catholicpitchers to stay in first place in District 9-2A with a 11-4 victory.

Riverside improved to 15-2 overall and 2-0 in District 9-2A. St. CharlesCatholic dropped to 14-4 and 1-1.

The Rebels honored former coach Tommy Fernandez before the game, renaming the ballpark Fernandez Field. During his long career at Riverside,Fernandez won over 300 games and four state championships.

Both teams would take advantage of walks to get on the scoreboard in the first inning. Jarrett Maurin led off the top of the inning for the Cometswith a single up the middle against Riverside starter Casey Duhe. StevenFaucheux followed by beating out a chopper in front of the plate and John Price walked to load the bases.

Wayne Stein drew another walk, driving in Maurin. Duhe then got out offurther trouble by striking out Darrin Gaubert and getting Courtney Bonura to ground sharply to third. Joey Poirrier threw home to for the force outwith Blake Duhe throwing down to first to complete the double play.

Riverside came right back in the bottom of the inning against Bonura.

Keith LeBlanc, Brandon Delaneuville, Dustin Zimmer, Poirrier and Sean Delaneuville walked in succession, bringing in two runs.

After Ryan Rome struck out, Zimmer came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. Bonura then got Chris Bourgeois to line out to Price at first withPrice throwing down to second to double up Delaneuville.

The Rebels extended their lead in the third. Brandon Delaneuville reachedon an infield hit to second to lead off the inning and Zimmer followed with a home run into the pine trees in left field, making it 5-1. Poirrier walkedand Sean Delaneuville singled before Bonura got Rome to hit into a double play.

After Bourgeois walked, Poirrier scored and Bourgeois went to second on a wild pitch. Blake Duhe then laced a shot into the right-center field gapthat hopped over the wall for a ground rule double, scoring Bourgeois to make it 7-1.

Kenny Clement followed with a single to left and LeBlanc walked to load the bases but Bonura struck out Brandon Delaneuville to end the inning.

Riverside added three runs against Comet reliever Dustin Braud in the fourth. Zimmer walked and Porrier lined a single to left to open the inning.Sean Delaneuville’s fly ball to short right fell in, plating Zimmer with the Rebels’ eighth run.

After Poirrier and Delaneuville executed a double steal and Rome grounded back to Braud, Bourgeois lined a run-scoring single to right. Blake Duhethen flew out to right with Delaneuville beating Matt Weber’s throw to the plate to make it 10-1.

While the Rebel bats were getting on track, Duhe was shutting down the Comets, striking out four straight batters over the fourth and fifth innings.

A double play got the Rebels out of the third and Duhe struck out Weber with Stein on third to end the fourth inning.

Duhe would pitch 5 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits while striking out five and walking two in moving to 5-1 on the season.

“He struggled in the first inning,” Riverside coach Marshall Crooks said of Duhe. “He began settling down in the second and he was helped out withthe double play in the first. He’s one I find gets stronger as the game goeson.”Stein’s diving catch of Sean Delaneuville’s looping fly ball to left with two runners on kept the Comets in the game in the bottom of the fifth.

Stein followed that up in the next inning with a single to center with one out.

Gaubert followed with a single to right-center and Bonura lined one to right to score Stein. Weber made it four singles in a row with one to right,scoring Gaubert to make it 10-3.

Poirrier came in to relieve Duhe on the mound and was greeted with a grounder in the hole by Nick Monica. Bourgeois, who had moved to thirdwhen Poirrier went in to pitch, dove to his left to make the stop and threw to first as Bonura scored. Poirrier then got Brandon Laiche to ground out toshort to end the inning.

Blake Duhe homered in the bottom of the inning to give the Rebels a 11-4 lead. Poirrier gave up a two-out single to Price in the seventh beforestriking out Stein to end the game.

“It was a big game, always is,” Crooks said. “After the first inning, thekids came on and took control of the game the whole day.”Bonura took the loss for the Comets, giving up five hits while striking out five and walking eight in falling to 2-2 on the season.

“He couldn’t find his control,” St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monicasaid. “We walked 12 batters. You can’t beat any one if you walk 12. He justcouldn’t find the strike zone and that is odd for him because he is usually around the plate.

“They got out early and when they got out, we couldn’t recover.”

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