DESTREHAN -- After Valero-St. Charles’ Devin Damare drilled the first pitch he saw high, deep and foul in the bottom of the seventh inning, an observer beckoned him to just “straighten it out.”

On the very next pitch, he heeded the advice.

Damare launched a rocket over the left field wall for a walk off solo home run, lifting Destrehan-based Valero-St. Charles to a 2-1 victory over St. Charles-based Townsend Homes in an American Legion Second District West game Thursday.

Valero-St. Charles’ Devin Damare reenacts the followthrough on his last swing to a teammate after Damare’s walk off home run on Thursday against Townsend Homes. It lifted Valero to a 2-1 victory. Meanwhile, Townsend second baseman Shane McNeil (inset) fires a th(Staff photos by Ryan Arena)

“He just gave me a fastball up,” said Damare, whose homer was the first of his summer. “I made a nice swing, and I knew it was gone when I hit it.”

It was the last regular season Legion game for Townsend Homes (6-5, 4-4). For Valero (10-4, 6-1), a game with Hahnville-based Otto Candies remained later that day (details were not available at presstime). It seemed likely that Valero would draw the top seed at next week’s Second District playoffs, while Townsend Homes appeared destined for the third seed.

Thursday’s game was a far cry from the previous meeting between the teams, one that Valero won 16-4 in LaPlace.

“One day, you get killed, the next, you can come back and beat the same team,” said Townsend pitcher Nick Reine, who allowed one run on four hits in 4.1 innings. “It’s just what baseball is.”

Reine and Cody McMurry (0-1) combined to hold the powerful Valero offense in check, and the Townsend defense committed only a single error on the day.

But the one stage of the game that may have left the team wondering “what might have been” came at the plate, where the team had two runners on in each of the second, third, fourth and fifth innings and pushed none across.

“We just didn’t get timely hits,” said Townsend Homes coach Paul Waguespack. “A hit here or there, and we may be having a different conversation. But at the same time, give (Valero) credit for playing real well.”

Reine and Valero starter Dylan Lucich battled to a scoreless tie until the fifth inning, when Marc Picciola came up with two outs and gave Townsend a 1-0 lead, launching a home run ball over the center field wall.

Valero answered back immediately in the bottom of the fifth. Shane Babineaux walked with one out and stole second, setting up Matt Smith to tie the game with a shot to left center field. His double brought Babineaux home.

From there, each side went to its relievers �“ Townsend Homes to McMurry, Valero to Kurt McCune. McCune struck out the first four batters he faced and only allowed one baserunner in two innings �“ Jared Keating walked, but was picked off of first base to end the Townsend threat in the seventh inning.

It was a scheduled bullpen day for McCune (4-1), and Valero coach Marty Luquet said that he wouldn’t have come out for another inning.

“We didn’t want to see it go to extra innings,” Luquet said.

Townsend wouldn’t get another chance, as Damare drilled his home run in the very next at bat.

“(Townsend came to play,” said Luquet. “It was a well-pitched game by both sides. They aren’t the four-time state runner up for nothing �“ they can play. It was an entertaining game between two good teams today.”