By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

BOUTTE — Hahnville-based Otto Candies pulled within one victory – one way or another – of moving on to the American Legion Southeast Regional at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium as it defeated St. Charles-based Townsend Homes Thursday, 7-4, in a Second District playoff game.

Townsend Homes remained alive in the regional picture after the loss, as the district playoff is contested under a round-robin double-elimination format. Townsend, the third seed in the tourney, needed to defeat Destrehan-based Valero-St. Charles on Friday to advance. A Townsend loss would propel Otto Candies and Valero to the regional; a Townsend win would set up playoff games today and, potentially, Sunday.

The win was Otto Candies third victory of the summer over Townsend Homes.

The game was a nine inning contest; as per Legion rules, all games will be nine innings going forward.

It was a come-from-behind victory for Otto Candies, as Townsend led 3-0 before Otto Candies scored five runs over the third and fourth innings of play to take control of the game.

Townsend Homes could point to a plethora of missed opportunities at game’s end. It stranded 15 runners on base on a day it had 19 base runners; 11 hits to go along with eight walks or hit batters. In each of the fifth and sixth innings, Townsend Homes loaded the bases, but came away with just one run. It also had two base runners picked off of first base.

“They’re too good of a team for us to think we can shoot ourselves in the foot like we did and win,” said Townsend Homes coach Paul Waguespack. “And that’s the bottom line. We battled all day, but we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”

Chad McNeil scored the game’s first run in the first inning, putting Townsend Homes (7-8) on the board 1-0 when he doubled, then scored from third on a wild pitch.

Townsend began to build some momentum when David Bleakley and the Townsend defense got a quick inning on the back of a strong defensive play by shortstop Austin Weber, who turned a double play off of a hot shot liner.

In the third inning, it extended its lead when Dylan Gillies knocked in McNeil and Weber on a single to center, making it 3-0.

But Otto Candies responded with some clutch two-out hitting in the bottom of the third, rapping out four consecutive hits to score two runs. Travis Faucheux got things started with a double, then Tyler Simmons singled. Cody Farrell doubled home Otto Candies’ first run. The team caught a break on its second, as Mike Ford hit an infield popup that would have ended the inning if not for a Townsend mistake, the ball dropping between fielders on a miscommunication and plating another run.  

In the fourth inning, a single and three walks – the last to Otto’s Dylan Keller – pushed the       tying run across with no outs. Connor Smith came on in relief of Bleakley and got a flyout, but he walked Faucheux to force in the go-ahead run. Simmons’ sacrifice fly to center made it 5-3.

“We saw their starter beginning to tire, and we started really digging deep into the count,” said Faucheux. “We started hitting it where we needed to and more importantly when we needed to … Our offense has been really catching fire. Everyone’s swinging the bat well.”

Added Otto Candies coach David Baudry, “We didn‘t let (Townsend)  put up a big inning in those first three, and they certainly could have. Then we had one in the fourth. That was a big swing.”

In the fifth inning, Ty Cologne grounded out to score Tyler Lamers, who singled earlier, making it 6-3.

The top of the sixth inning saw Townsend nearly turn the tables, loading the bases with one out. Brandon Zimmer walked to force home a run and make it 6-4, but Simmons, who came on in relief of Lamers, retired Weber and Gillies to end the threat.

“Our pitchers have been on point all summer,” said Faucheux. “They make big pitches when they have to, and we’ve been playing solid defense.”

Faucheux tacked on one more run to the Otto Candies total on an RBI single in the eighth inning.

Townsend’s final chance came with two outs in the ninth, the bases loaded after a walk by Mason Bordelon and singles by Brandon Klibert and Keller. But Simmons got Luke Poche to fly out to end the game.

Otto Candies (17-9) finished with nine hits and 18 base runners.

“Tyler Simmons came in and did a really good job for us,” said Baudry. “Lamers didn’t have his best stuff today, but Simmons came in and was really able to kind of shut things down.”

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