Cretin Homes squad drops Saturday game to Valero-St. Charles, 1-0

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

BOUTTE – With a 9-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning on Monday at Hahnville High, Cretin Homes was just three outs away from chalking up another win in American Legion play for District II.

A long three outs.

St. Charles Catholic coach Paul Waguespack showed confidence in starting pitcher Steven Duhe as Cretin Homes saw their four-run lead constrict into a much tighter 9-8. It paid off as the right-hander stranded the tying run at third base through two straight batters, getting the last one to pop-out to third baseman Alex Marse just outside the foul line.

The scoring started early and often in the West division match-up, with base-runners finding their way home in five of the seven innings. Cretin Homes struck first to take a 1-0 advantage with their leadoff batters in the opening side, but Otto Candies countered with a two-run second inning before Duhe got a strikeout to end the side.

The fireworks started in the top of the third when consecutive walks brought in Hahnville’s Jordan Unger in to relieve. A single to left to loaded the bases for a sacrifice to centerfield, scoring Jonathan Cancienne. Phillip Sutton came up next with runners on second and third and lined one right between first and second base to retake the lead.

Otto Candies pushed back in the bottom of the third when B.J. Young singled through the gap at shortstop for an RBI, but Duhe threw a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.

Cretin Homes came right back with two more runs courtesy of a pair of singles by #19 and #20, and a pair of sacrifice infield hits by #6 and #1 for a 6-3 lead. ____ brought Ryan Waters to the mound in the next inning and brought the scoring down a bit, though the St. Charles squad spaced out three more runs throughout.

On Saturday, Cretin Homes moved on up to Destrehan for a tense game that was hot in every sense of the word.

Tempers were high enough to match the temperature as both coaches took exception to close calls in a game where every base-runner mattered. Scoreless through five and a half innings of play, Destrehan’s St. Charles of Valero team posted the only run in the game in the bottom of the sixth and nearly got another before Cretin Homes’ leftfielder _____ gunned him out to catcher _____, who made the sweeping tag. The SCC squad made things interesting when they got one on base and put up a batter who would’ve represented the winning run. But a third strike was ruled on an up and away pitch to end the game bringing SCC’s coach onto the field in dispute.

In the final week before the American Legion District II playoffs begin, _____.