Riverfield Raiders take state championship

The Riverfield Academy Raiders claimed their first baseball championship in 32 years last Thursday with an exciting 5-3 victory over the Bayou Academy Colts.

Head coach Joe Meeks' third baseball title was perhaps his sweetest as the Raiders finished in style wit a 29-3 record for the year. With the win, Riverfield swept the series two games to none, leaving no doubt who the best team was this 2010 season.

"We stepped our game up time after time," veteran mentor Meeks said. "We didn't care who or where we played, these kids were not going to settle for anything less than being number 1. They never played the game not to lose it. It was always our game to win."

The 1:30 p.m. game did not seem to bother Riverfield either, as the legion of Raider fans filled every side of the diamond.

"I think we surprised them with our crowd," Meeks said. "That's the way we like it."

Bayou struck first with a run in the second inning, but Raider short-stop Logan Moore slammed his 16th homerun of the season (a 400-foot shot to right center) to drive home Kyle Booth who had singled to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead.

Bayou scratched another run in the third to tie the game at 2-2.

Raider starting pitcher Kyle King then settled in and Riverfield plated two more runs in the top of the fifth on singles by King and a walk to Booth and RBI singles by Moore and second baseman Jason Jarrette.

Riverfield continued to put the pressure on the Colts as King lined a two out in the sixth inning single to center, stole second and Kyle Booth executed a perfect hit and run to drive in King to put the Raiders up 5-2.

The Raiders went down quietly in their half of the seventh inning and Bayou mounted their final charge. King got the Colts' Winn Roark to pup up to Moore at short for the first out. Next hitter Stewart Salley lined a soft single, but third baseman Corbin Cater got Trey Wells' grounder and threw him out for out number two. Another single plated one run for the Colts but King got lead-off hitter Brandon Cummins to fly out to left fielder Justin Sullivan for our number three and the ball game.

Logan Moore led the state champs at the plate, going 3-4 with three RBIs. Kyle Booth went 2-3 with an RBI and scored two runs. King Also had two hits, two runs scored and two stolen bases.

King ran his record to 11-0 with the pitching victory, scattering eight hits and recording six Ks.

Riverfield again played flawlessly in the field, recording no errors for the 22nd game this year.

The Raiders will have a nice fish supper at 6:30 p.m. Monday night in the Riverfield Cafeteria and would encourage fans to come and look at teh 2010 MAIS Class A state champion trophy that will be on display for everyone to see.