By Michael Kiral / L’Observateur / June 10, 1998

LAPLACE – The Riverside Extra Inning Club-Cretin Homes American Legion contest Monday afternoon was your typical Riverside-St. Charles Catholicgame. Like a fireworks display on the Fourth of July, just when youthought the show was over was when the real show began.

Riverside bounced back from a 5-0 deficit to score 13 unanswered runs over the final four innings for a 13-5 Second District East victory. Withthe win, the Extra Inning Club improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in district play while Cretin Homes suffered its first loss of the season after rolling off six-straight victories.

Cretin Homes looked to make it seven straight and move to 4-0 in district as Wayne Stein led off the bottom of the second against Riverside starter Casey Duhe with a home run just to the right of the green monster in center. Steven Faucheux followed with a single to left and one out later,scored as Courtney Bonura lined a shot over the left field wall to give Cretin Homes a 3-0 lead.

Cretin Homes was not finished as Jarrett Maurin walked and Darrin Gaubert tripled into the right field corner. Nick Monica then laid down abunt on the squeeze play, scoring Gaubert to make the score 5-0.

Riverside began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth inning without benefit of a hit against Cretin Homes starter John Price. With one out,Brandon Delauneville walked, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Keith LeBlanc’s ground out and scored as Price’s pitch Ryan Rome skipped past Gaubert.

The Extra Inning Club pulled to within one in the top of the fourth. AnsonMatherne and Joey Poirrier opened the inning with walks with Matherne moving to third as Dustin Duhon forced Poirrier at second. Matherne wouldscore as Seth LeBlanc hit into a force out.

After Blake Duhe walked, Brandon Delaneuville collected Riverside’s first hit of the game, a lined single to right, to score LeBlanc. Keith LeBlanc andRome followed with walks to force in Duhe, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

Price was then replaced on the mound by Toby Jacob who got Sean Delauneville to fly out to right to end the inning.

Cretin Homes had a chance to open its lead in the bottom of the inning as Maurin reached on a wild pitch after striking out to start the inning.

One out later, Monica lined a double off the top of the left field wall to put runners at second and third. But Casey came back to get Jacob to fly out tocenter and Price to ground out to third to get out of the jam.

Riverside tied the score in the fifth on a one-out home run to left by Poirrier off Laiche. The Extra Inning Club then loaded the bases on a doubleby Duhon, a walk by Seth LeBlanc and a single by Duhe.

After Delaneuville tapped to Laiche who threw Duhon out at the plate, Keith LeBlanc walked to force in Seth LeBlanc and give Riverside a 6-5 lead.

Cretin Homes threatened in the fifth as Stein led off with a single to right, was sacrificed to second by Faucheux and went to third on a ground out by Brandon Laiche. But Duhe struck out Bonura looking to end theinning.

Riverside gave itself some breathing room in the sixth. With one out,Matherne reached on an error by Bonura and Poirrier walked. Duhonfollowed witha double into the left-center field gap, scoring both runners to make the score 8-5.

Ty Monica came in to pitch and gave up a walk to Seth LeBlanc and a single to Duhe to score Duhon. Delaneuville then singled to left with LeBlancscoring as the cutoff throw got past Faucheux. Keith LeBlanc followedwith the big blow of the inning, a three-run home run over the left field fence to give Riverside a 13-5 lead.

Casey Duhe, who had settled down after the third, giving up three hits and two walks the rest of the way, retired the side in order in the seventh to improve to 2-0 on the season.

“We got down 5-0 but Casey shut them down the rest of the way,” Riverside coach Tommy Fernandez said. “We got clutch hitting and gooddefensive play. We have a reason to be proud with the way the teamplayed.”Cretin Homes coach Frank Monica pointed to base on balls as the difference in the game. Riverside drew 13 walks off of four Cretin Homespitchers.

“Bases on balls have been our nemisis,” Monica said. “We don’t throwstrikes and it comes back to haunt us. It hurts the defense and we can’tthrow strike one. We have been having good pitching and for the first threeinnings today, we threw strikes. We lost our focus and the better teamwon today.”

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