Retif edges Townsend

Published 11:45 pm Friday, June 28, 2013

By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. Charles Catholic-based Townsend Homes was on the cusp of finishing off an extremely impressive three-day run Wednesday: holding a one-run lead over Jesuit-based Retif Oil, a win would have been the third in as many days over elite competition after one-run victories over Destrehan and Holy Cross-based teams.
It wasn’t to be. Retif’s Dylan Weston hit a two-run single to help propel the game to extra innings, and Mitch Alexander’s two-run home run in the eighth inning propelled Retif to an 8-6 victory in an American Legion game at Comet Field.
Though the loss stung, Townsend coach Wayne Stein couldn’t be discouraged following such a strong showing against the defending Legion state champions.
“I’m excited about this team right now. I’m especially excited about the guys who are going to be seniors next year on this team who just keep continually stepping up,” said Stein. “I think we’re peaking at the right time.”
Townsend took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Austin Weber smashed a double off of the left field wall, driving in Dane Authement.
Retif got its offense cranked up in the second, though, putting up a four spot. Alex Galy’s two-run single with the bases loaded put Retif ahead for the first time, then Alexander’s two-run double made it 4-1.
But from there, Townsend’s pitching started to quiet the Retif bats. B.J. Waguespack came on in relief of starter Colin Bosco in the second inning and held Retif scoreless into the fifth inning, giving Townsend a chance to rally.
Kameron Keller’s RBI triple in the bottom of the second drove in Connor Smith, making it 4-2. Then Weber came up big again, this time singling in Keller to cut the Retif lead to one.
Keller singled to tie the game in the fourth inning, driving home Mason Bordelon and making the score 4-4. Authement lifted Townsend into the lead in the fifth, grounding out but plating a run in the process after Brandon Klibert’s one out double.
“We swung the bats well today. Their starter out there today(C.J. Avrard) is one of their better guys,” said Stein.
In the fifth, Klibert came in in relief of Waguespack and got Townsend out of a two on, one out jam. Then in the sixth, Connor Smith did the same, allowing no runs after entering with runners on first and third and one out.
Retif took the lead in the sixth, after getting two on with no out. Weston drove a ball to the right field wall to score two on a single. Townsend Homes answered back after singles by Smith and Keller, the latter tying the game after Brady Becker’s sacrifice bunt.
But after Smith struck out the first two Retif batters he faced in the eighth, Clayton Deron drew a pinch-hit walk. That brought up Alexander, who delivered a thunderous shot over the wall in right-centerfield that proved the game-winner.
“I was just trying to put it in play,” said Alexander. “Luckily for me, it got out of here.”
Said Retif coach Joey Latino, “He’s our catalyst. He’s a lot of things to us. Mitch is that prototypical leadoff man, and he’s got a little pop. He can be that RBI man, too, and thankfully that’s something he showed in the end today.”
Keller finished four for five with three RBIs. Weber went 2-3 with two walks and two RBIs.
Stein said that a few mistakes cost his team – Retif, he noted, is far too explosive to lend any extra baserunners to via walks, and Retif drew seven Wednesday.
“But the moment wasn’t too big for our guys,” he said. “They’ve got so many weapons, and that makes it tough on you … When you see a Kameron Keller, an Austin Weber, an Eian Mitchell, guys who get up and go to 7-on-7 (football) in the morning, then have basketball after that, and then get here at 4:30 and play from five to eight and give the kind of effort they’ve been giving us, that’s just leadership. It’s all I could ever ask for.”
TOWNSEND HOMES 8, PONSTEIN’S 7 (8 INNINGS) – Townsend Homes allowed six sixth inning runs after leading 3-0, but fought back to force extra innings and eventually post a one-run victory.
Townsend scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth and another in the seventh to force extra innings. Brady Becker scored the game-winning run on a double-steal attempt in the eighth inning after a throwing miscue by Ponstein’s.