By RYAN ARENA

L’ObservateuR

NEW ORLEANS — The American Legion Southeast Regional couldn’t have had a better start for Destrehan-based Valero-St. Charles. But not much went right in its second game.

It’s fare to begin the tourney added up to a split and an elimination rematch against St. Charles Catholic-based Townsend Homes on Tuesday, after defeating Deanie’s Seafood (Rummel) 12-3 on Saturday but losing to Peake BMW (Brother Martin) 12-2 on Monday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

The Townsend Homes-Valero game was scheduled to be played on Monday at 1:30, after Wednesday’s press time.

Saturday’s win over Deanie’s was a workmanlike effort at the plate for Valero, which scored at least one run in each of the first four innings, including a four run spot in the fourth that broke things open.

LSU-Eunice signee Sam Carriere got Valero rolling early, leading off the game with a triple. Seth Montz grounded out to score him, making it 1-0. Zach Schexnaydre added another run, singling, then stealing second and third before scoring on a throwing error.

Deanie’s answered with a run in the bottom of the first when Cameron Hoffman drove in Russell Zimmerman, who led off with a single.

In the second inning, Valero added two more runs after loading the bases with one out on two hit batters and a walk. Montz collected his second RBI with a single to left, then Matt Smith grounded out to make it 4-1.

Edwin DeLaCruz drove in his team’s fifth run in the third.

Then Carriere came up big again, socking a home run to start the fourth. With two on, Schexnaydre doubled home a run, Smith scored on a wild pitch, and Jesse Bryant singled to left to drive home another run, making it 9-1.

Valero tacked on runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

Brant Bourgeois picked up the win for Valero, pitching the first three innings. He allowed two runs, neither earned, on two hits. He combined with Walter Johnson and Scott Stonestreet to allow eight hits — Valero has been using their pitchers for three innings at a time, if effectiveness allows.

“We’ll still be able to use most of these guys going forward,” said Valero coach Marty Luquet. “We don’t have the depth to throw guys for six, seven, eight innings in this format. They did a good job (on Saturday).”

Things had a promising beginning once again for Valero on Monday against Peake BMW, as Smith broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run in the fourth inning. A Brett Hebert RBI double later in the inning made it 2-0, as he rocked a pitch to centerfield just out of the reach of Peake’s Jacob Seward.

But Valero lost the momentum after a pair of defensive mistakes in the top of the fifth, when Peake tied the game. With bases loaded and one out, an error at short denied Valero a chance at turning a double play and brought a run home. Then after Logan Riddell hit a grounder up the middle, Valero took the force at second without going home, and another run scored.

“In a game like this, when you make a few fielding mistakes, things can get away from you. That’s what happened today,” said Luquet. “I didn’t think our pitching was so bad today. But we didn’t offer much help to them. That’s just part of the game in high school baseball, though.”

Things snowballed from there. In the sixth, Peake again loaded the bases with no outs, and Ryan Pickett and Seward each collected RBI singles, the latter scoring two to make it 5-2.

In the seventh, an RBI double by Cody Ducote and RBI singles by Hunter Boudreaux and Christian Valeton made it 8-2.

A groundout RBI by Pickett made it 9-2. Peake added three more runs in the eighth to extend the lead to 10, and Riddell closed it out on the mound to preserve a 10-run rule victory.

Riddell went all eight innings for the complete game, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out seven.

“Logan pitched a heck of a game for them,” said Luquet. “He may have pitched better at the end than at the beginning.”

Scott Stonestreet took the loss in relief.