By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS — A rally in the rain fell short on Saturday, but Townsend Homes fired back on Sunday, taking care of business to survive in the Southeast Regional at Kirsch Rooney Stadium this past weekend.

The St. Charles Catholic-based team fell 12-7 to Shaw-based Refuel Saturday, but downed Pine-based Neco Electrical 10-0 in an abbreviated game Sunday.

It set up a clash with Destrehan-based Valero St. Charles scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, after Wednesday’s press time. It was effectively an elimination game at the double-elimination tournament. Each team has captured a win against the other this summer.

Refuel struck early on Saturday, opening up a 6-1 lead over the first two innings before rain delayed the game for almost two hours.

Brandon Snow and Dylan Butler each collected RBIs in the first inning to lift Refuel to a 2-0 lead. But Townsend Homes shot back when Jared Keating singled home Donnie Savoie in the bottom half to make it 2-1.

A Townsend error got Refuel started in the second inning when Brock Termine reached on a misplayed grounder. Dylan Roudofich walked and Garrett Shano tripled home both to make it 4-1. A single by Shane Poole and a double by Austin Soden made it 6-1.

Townsend Homes scratched out a second run in the bottom half, after Brandon Zimmer doubled and was driven home by Austin Ourso.

After the rain delay, Townsend calmed the Refuel bats down behind the efforts of reliever Brady Hitt and its own bats began to make a comeback. In the fourth, Ourso doubled, Savoie singled him home, then Macky Cortez socked a home run to maker it 6-5. Back to back doubles by Zimmer and Chad McNeil in the fifth tied the game up.

But things fell apart in the seventh for Townsend, as Refuel scored six runs to all but put the game out of reach. A Poole single led off the inning, then Snow would drive him home. A Butler double added another run, then a double by Jonathon Coco brought home another. A single by Korsel Schouest made it 10-6, then an RBI single by Shano made it 11-6. Poole finished off the scoring with an RBI single of his own.

“I feel like I let it get away,” said Townsend coach Paul Waguespack. “Brady came in and did a great job. He pitched 4.2 innings of two-hit ball. He baffled them. But I got greedy … he ran out of gas, and I tried to get one more inning out of him. He was a trooper about it. That was on me.”

Shane McNeil held Refuel to one hit in 2.1 innings of relief, and Townsend mustered a last gasp effort in the ninth. It loaded the bases and pushing a run across on a Chad McNeil walk. But Jonathan France recorded the final out to earn the save.

“Our kids never quit,” said Waguespack. “They competed their butts off. Things just snowballed in that seventh inning.”

Tyler McDonald earned the win for Refuel, pitching 3.2 innings of one hit ball.

Townsend Homes rebounded against Neco, getting off to a fast start and scoring five runs in the first. Neco mustered two hits and never truly threatened.

All of Townsend’s runs in the first came with two outs. With the bases loaded, Zimmer walked to force in the game’s first run. Chad McNeil did the same to make it 2-0. Then LaJaylin Smith doubled down the right field line to bring home three runs.

Ourso drove in a run in the third. Keating scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. Townsend scored three in the fifth when Ourso and Hitt each scored on throwing errors and Chris Millet collected an RBI single to make it 10-0.

The game was called after six innings due to rain.

Brennon Zeringue picked up the win for Townsend Homes, going five innings. He allowed one hit and walked four, while striking out four.

Waguespack expressed satisfaction in the win, but not in how it was achieved — he felt his team displayed a lack of fire.

“It’s my job to get it out of them, and I feel like I failed there,” Waguespack said. “I was a little disappointed. Too many pop ups, too many errors. If we make a bunch of hard ground ball outs and win 10-0, then I sit here and say, ‘We took care of business’. But I felt like we went through the motions.

“Still, it’s a win, and believe me, I’ll take it. We’re excited to still be playing here … regardless of how the game against Valero goes, this summer’s been successful and enjoyable.”