MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / July 1, 2000

DESTREHAN – Destrehan’s baseball field has been the site of many an offensive shootout but Wednesday afternoon, it was the home of a pitching duel between the Riverside Extra Inning Club’s Brandon Delaneuville and East St. Charles Post 366/195’s Jared Strickland.Delaneuville held Post 366/195 to five hits in seven innings as the Extra Inning Club took a 6-2 victory in Second District play. The Extra InningClub remained in the hunt for the district playoffs at 7-5 in both district and overall. East St. Charles fell to 4-8 overall and 4-7 in district.Delaneuville (4-1) gave up two earned runs while walking three and striking out in pitching the complete game. Strickland (2-3) gave up fiveruns, four earned, on five hits and five walks while striking out four in 5 1/2 innings. Devin Respess finished the game for Post 366/195, giving uptwo runs on four hits and walk while striking out one in 1 2/3 innings.

“Brandon has been consistent all season,” Extra Inning Club coach Davey Clement said. “He kept the ball down and he got all three of his pitchesover for strikes. If you can do that in high school, you have a good chanceof winning.”The Extra Inning Club opened the game with two runs in the top of the first. With one out, Britt Waguespack lined a solo home run over the rightfield fence. Sean Delaneuville followed by reaching on an error.Delaneuville moved up on a ground out and a wild pitch and came in to score on Joel Levin’s double to right-center.

Post 366/195 pulled to within one in the bottom of the third. Keith Grubbsled off with a single to short and scored two outs later on Larry McVay’s double to left.

Strickland kept Post 366/195 close through the first five innings.

Waguespack, who went 3-for-4 in the game, opened the third with a double to left but was Strickland got Sean Delaneuville to line into a double play to short. In the fifth, Bradley Hodges singled to short and Waguespacksingled to right with one out but catcher Randy Roth caught Hodges trying to steal third.

Delaneuville also got of the jam in the fourth. Larry Matherne and ReidOwens walked with two outs but Delaneuville came back to strike out Grubbs to end the inning.

The Extra Inning Club got a cushion with two runs in the fifth. BrandonDelaneuville led off with a walk and courtesy runner Seth Johnson was sacrificed to second by Levin. After Damian Melancon came in to pitch,Respess came to pitch and gave up a single to center to D.J. Fortenberry toload the bases. Blake Duhe then lined a single to left, scoring Johnson andMelancon to make it 4-2. Jonathan Oubre grounded sharply to Matherne atfirst who turned the double play to end the inning.

Matherne then did it on the offensive end, lining a two-out home run deep over the right-center field fence to cut the deficit to 4-2. Scott Simonfollowed with a walk and Owens doubled to right but Delaneuville got pinch hitter Shane Leboyd to ground back to the mound to preserve the lead.

The Extra Inning Club answered with two runs in the top if the six. Hodgesled off by getting hit by a pitch and stole second.

One out later, Sean Delaneuville lined a double down the third base line, scoring Hodges to make it 5-2. With two outs, Levin doubled off the top ofthe left field fence, plating Delaneuville to expand the lead to 6-2.

Daniel Roussel doubled to left to open the seventh but Delaneuville got the next three batters in order to end the game.

“Their pitcher did a real good job,” Post 366/195 coach Mark Willoughby said. “He threw the ball well and kept us off balanced. He never let us getanything going.”

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