By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Riverside made quick work of first round foe Oakdale, advancing to the second round of the Class 2A postseason with an 18-3 victory at home. 

“I was glad to get this one under our belts,” said Riverside coach Kristy Hebert. “We have so many new people on the field from what we had a year ago, their first time in a playoff situation. I thought we looked like it in the first inning or two but then we got rolling. Our bats were great today.”

The Rebels (16-11), the No. 5 seed in 2A, will face the winner of the game between Hannan and French Settlement, which was scheduled to be played Tuesday. 

Peyton Sutton drove in two runs in the fourth and final inning and scored the game-clincher after a throwing error on her steal attempt of third allowed her to score RA’s 18th run, ending the game via the 15-run rule.

Sutton finished the game 3 for 3 with four RBIs. Madison Watson went 1 for 4 with five RBIs. Erica Delaneuville was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Hailey Tassin and Toni Perrin each collected two hits, a double and an RBI, while Toni Hebert went 1 for 2 with a triple.

Toni Hebert earned the win on the mound, allowing one run and striking out five.

Oakdale finishes with a record of 8-14. 

Kristy Hebert said that she’s pleased with the progression of her starting pitcher, who moved from catcher to the team’s regular starter on the mound in mid-March. She moved to 8-5 with Monday’s win. 

“She seems like she’s getting stronger and stronger,” said Kristy Hebert. “She struggled a little at times today, but she did a good job and knew she had her defense backing her up. I think her confidence just keeps growing.”

The coach also said, though, that continued offensive production will likely be the biggest key to the Rebels’ ultimate success. Riverside has won 10 of its last 13 games, its lone 3 losses over that span coming in games the team has scored two runs or less. 

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in the way we play defense and the way we pitch. But when we swing the bats, it makes a huge difference,” she said. “We’ve really emphasised that in practice of late.”

It seems to be working. Riverside has scored 33 runs over its last two games. 

Kristy Hebert said Watson and Sutton’s combined nine RBIs signified a pair of players who have come on strong at the right time. 

“They’ve really been stepping it up,” she said.