By ROBERT L. LEE

LAPLACE – The Cretin Homes Comets finished their American Legion season plagued with the same problems they’ve had all summer.

The summer league is now over for the Comets, as Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Schaff Brothers team based out of Archbishop Rummel High School knocked out any shot they may have had of a post season.

Although all teams have reoccurring ailments, rarely does one problem affect a team in such a number of ways. While their opponents sooner or later gain a clutch hit to open at least a one-run lead, the Comets are left trailing, searching for their break.

“That’s pretty much the story of the summer,” explained Comets’ assistant coach Ty Monica. “The opposing teams are getting the clutch hits, not us.”

The Comets would have needed the East Jefferson (Crown Buick) team to lose their final two games and also for Hannan (Capella/All State) to fall against Lutcher, Hannan won 7-5, to have a shot for another trip to the summer’s post season.

The timely hitting problem not only hurts the team offensively by not lighting up the scoreboard, watching a team from the other dugout gain a base hit, then RBI off the same pitches adds insult to injury.

Case in point, Monday evening’s home game loss versus the Schaff Brothers team. As fans for both sides were still filing their bleacher seats, the Rummel team drove in two runs for a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

A seamless sequence of walks and timely hits immediately put the Comets on the defensive, at their home field. The Comets’ defense quickly closed out the inning, and both teams’ defenses made quick work of the rest of the game, often sending three batters back with outs.

In the bottom of the second inning, with two outs looming on the board, the Comets threatened to even when they landed two runners on base. A well-planned steal at third placed runners on the corner bases, but the third out brought the drive to a screeching halt.

In the very next inning, third, the Comets again landed two runners on base, although this time with only one out. Cretin Homes gained their first, and only run, when Billie Poche delivered a sacrifice hit to open the door enough for Reid Owens to cross home plate. However, the Comets could not build on their beginning and were handed the third out, leaving one runner stranded.

“We made a couple of errors early, but at the time they didn’t really hurt us,” said Monica. “I thought we came out with more enthusiasm today than with some of the other games this summer.”

In the top of the fourth inning, Rummel responded by taking advantage of a seemingly minimal Comet error, and turning it into their third run. The instantaneous play left most of the fans for both teams scratching their heads and simply accepting the added run.

The Comets stopped any further runs, but in the fifth inning, Rummel inched ahead again with one more run. A line drive double down the third baseline gave a Schaff Brothers runners the go ahead from second to round third and cross home.

With thunderstorms threatening once again, the Comets held the Schaff Brothers scoreless through the top of the sixth inning, then made a run themselves.

With one out, two well-placed hits into the far right-field hole and the shallow center field hole earned the Comets runners on first and second bases.

The Comets were crushed yet again, however, when a line drive to the first baseman’s glove accounted for the second out, while his proximity to the runner leading off of first gave him an easy tag for the immediate third out.

Michael Bonura took the mound for the Comets to begin the seventh and final inning and gained an out with his glove, catching a hit after it bounced, then making the throw to first base.

Another such hit and throw to the short stop gave Rummel two quick outs. With one runner made a base hit, then was allowed to cross home plate for the fifth run, following a series of three consecutive walks.

Zane LeBlanc stepped up on the mound for the Comets, then was welcomed by an infield hit, which was juggled then thrown, but not in enough time to stop the Rummel runner from taking first and another from crossing home plate.

Finally, a hit to LeBlanc and a throw to first earned the third out.

The Comets were handed two outs before Jesse Martin hit a double off the top of the left field wall, but he was left stranded when the second baseman made a jumping catch for the last out.