By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – John Curtis was able to snap St. Charles’ 12-game winning streak with a 2-1 win in River Ridge on Friday, but the Comets bounced back Saturday to take a 12-2 victory in LaPlace and with it the season series.

SCC (24-5, 8-1) won two of its three games with Curtis, including a 10-2 win at Comet Field on Thursday, which clinched a district championship.

SCC’s Cody McMurray struck out seven in 6.1 innings, allowed four hits and walked two. He got a no-decision.

St. Charles squandered a golden opportunity to strike first when three consecutive singles by Matt Bonnecarre, Marc Picciola and Brandon Becker loaded the bases with one out, but Curtis escaped, enticing a fielder’s choice grounder from Grant Authement and a fly out by Nick Reine.

Instead, Curtis went ahead 1-0 in the third inning on an RBI single that followed a walk and a bunt.

St. Charles immediately responded, taking advantage of a pair of JCC mistakes. Authement struck out but reached on a dropped ball by the catcher and an error. Reine singled to bring up Jared Keating, who got on via another Patriot error. Authement scored to tie things up.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Curtis finally broke through again, chasing McMurray from the game after a single and a sacrifice bunt. Henri Faucheux came on in relief but walked two batters to load the bases, then Becker came on in relief of him and walked the next Curtis batter, forcing in the winning run.

SCC surged back to win the second game on the back of strong days by Picciola and Faucheux.

Picciola had his biggest day of the season at the plate, homering twice and collecting five RBIs. Faucheux tossed a three-hitter, struck out four and walked three over six innings.

St. Charles struck first this time, scoring in the first on Marc Picciola’s sacrifice fly that scored Brady Hitt to make it 1-0.

Curtis (20-11, 5-4) tied the game in the third, but SCC’s bats would awaken quickly. Picciola collected his second RBI in style, socking a solo home run to lead off the fourth. Then the Comets’ aggressiveness on the bases paid off when a double steal led to an errant Curtis throw into the outfield, allowing Authement to score and make it 3-1.

Curtis responded with a home run in the fourth, but SCC scored four more in the fifth. Hitt’s RBI double got it started after a Shane McNeil single. Bonnecarre singled home Hitt, Picciola walked, and a Becker single to right scored two runs to make it 7-2.

The Comets finished things off in the sixth on RBI singles by Bonnecarre and Keating and a three-run Picciola home run.