Matt Vines

Red River baseball battled Winnfield for district supremacy
Red River baseball’s series with Winnfield wouldn’t quite crown a district champion, but the winner would be the clear leader in the clubhouse as district play barrels toward its conclusion.

The Bulldogs struck the first blow in a 6-1 win Thursday, but Winnfield snatched victories of 9-0 and 9-8 on Friday at home to win the series and take command of the district.

Red River (12-9, 3-3 District 3-2A) still has district series against Many and Lakeside in the final three weeks of the regular season, but Winnfield appears to have a commanding lead in the district race.

Winnfield (10-9, 6-2) has already dispatched of another district contender in Lakeside (10-13, 3-3) and has just Many left on its district slate.

While Many (10-13, 3-3) is dangerous, these Tigers lost a series to Lakeside and would have to win the series against Winnfield to put the district crown back in play.

The race for second place appears to be in full swing, and Red River controls its own destiny.

The Bulldogs will need to reverse a recent trend as Red River has lost five of its last six contests, including earlier losses to Buckeye (6-4), Byrd (15-2) and Elizabeth (12-8) all at home.

Red River entered Friday’s contests on the inside edge of the home playoff picture at No. 16.

Riverdale baseball puts victory in win column
The Riverdale baseball team logged its first victory of the season with a win against West Side Christian on Friday, according to the Riverdale Academy Facebook page.

The score hasn’t been reported to its public schedule on Maxpreps.com.

The Rebels start their six-game district schedule Tuesday with a trip to Claiborne Academy. Riverdale will play Claiborne, Union Christian, and Briarfield twice each in the next three weeks.

The regular season ends April 17.

Red River softball winners of four straight
The Lady Bulldogs have not only won its last four game, it’s hammering their opponents in the process.
Red River (11-4) beat Mansfield twice, Lakeview and Plain Dealing all by at least eight runs, scoring double-digit runs in the process.

One of those Mansfield wins was Red River’s first in District 3-2A after falling to Lakeside and Winnfield.
Red River closes district play Tuesday when Many visits as the game will likely decide third place in the district, although Many has an opportunity to climb to second place.

The Lady Bulldogs are currently solidly inside the home playoff picture as a No. 11 seed as the team has amassed the sixth-most wins in Division III Non-Select.

Riverdale Academy anglers qualify for state tournament
Riverdale Academy anglers Colton Caskey and Brayden Pearah qualified for the LHSAA state tournament with its fourth-place finish in the North Division Tournament on Caney Lake.

Caskey and Pearah hauled in 16.76 pounds of bass in the March 8 event.

The pair navigated a field of 175 high school anglers and will be a force at the state tournament May 3-4 on the Ouachita River in Monroe.