NEW ORLEANS — St. Charles Catholic-based Townsend Homes post 159 was knocked out of the American Legion state baseball tournament in two games, but just getting there was an accomplishment in itself.

Townsend turned in the best American Legion performance in the team’s history, going 15-7-1 over the season and winning the Southeast regional tournament to propel the team to its first state tournament appearance. However, Townsend could not keep up the success and suffered back-to-back losses to end its postseason on Sunday.

In the final game against Peake BMW a questionable call had fans — from both teams — in near hysterics.

It was a day so hot the home plate umpire could not make it to the end of the game. In the break before the sixth inning the umpire fainted from exhaustion. After a lengthy pause in the action a substitute was located. Some in the crowd may have attributed the umpire’s sudden disappearance to a questionable call made just prior to his exit when he deemed a ball skirting the third base line fair while many in the crowd felt it rolled foul. Peake BMW scored two runs on the play and garnered a 4-1 lead.

Townsend head coach Wayne Stein said the play was just part of the game.

“Everybody is out here battling heat,” Stein said. “Players aren’t perfect, kids aren’t perfect, umpires aren’t perfect and coaches aren’t perfect. You’ve got to play with the elements and you’ve got to be able to overcome that.”

While Townsend was able to tie up the game the team ultimately lost 6-5 in the ninth inning.

Despite the tough end to the season Stein said his team met the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of the summer.

“We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish going into the next (prep) season and that is why we play Legion,” Stein said. “We don’t play it to win state tournaments or regionals. We do it for that and I am excited about where we are.”

Incoming senior Zack Weber said he felt the team turned in good performances.

“It was a good summer,” Weber said. “We came out here and gave it our best. There was not much more you could do.”

Gauthier & Amedee 9 — Townsend 4

Gauthier & Amedee got off to a quick start against Townsend on Saturday knocking in two runs in the first inning and following up with another two-run performance in the third inning.

In the fourth inning Justin Ory tripled and was knocked in by Townsend slugger Brady Newman. Later in the inning Trevor Arceneaux notched two RBIs off a single to tie the game up.

Gauthier & Amedee put up three runs in the sixth inning and a run apiece in the seventh inning and eighth inning for the win.

Stein said Townsend was unable to capitalize off of opportunities to get ahead in the Gauthier & Amedee game.

“It was a 4-4 game going into the sixth,” Stein said. “We played a real good baseball team, give them credit, and they gave us some outs and we didn’t take them. You can’t give them any extra outs.”

Stein said Gauthier & Amedee was one of the tougher opponents they faced all year.

“They are just a heck of a baseball team — they’ve only got five guys going back to high school next year,” Stein said. “Everybody else is either in college or going to college. So it was good to see us compete.”

Zack Weber was Townsend’s leading hitter on the day with one RBI off of three singles.

Peake BMW 5 —Townsend 4

Townsend’s final game on Sunday was a rematch of the July 17 regional championship in which they handily beat Brother Martin-based Peake BMW 10-2.

Both teams entered the game facing elimination with a loss apiece. However, history was not to repeat itself.

Townsend scored the first run of the day in the top of the second inning, but Peake BMW came back quickly with two runs in the bottom of the second. Then came the questionable call in which Peake BMW scored two runs.

Townsend struck back in the sixth by scoring two crafty runs — one by Brandon Lemoine off of a throwing error and the other when Trevor Arceneaux took home as Peake BMW tried to force out a teammate.

Peake BMW kept the game competitive by putting in one run in the bottom of the sixth inning to bring the score to 5-3. Townsend came back in the seventh inning with another two-run effort off of sacrifices by Lemoine and Nick Scioneaux to tie the game 5-5.

Ultimately though, Townsend was unable to hang on and gave up the deciding run in the bottom of the ninth off a double by Peake BMW to make the score 6-5.

“Our pitchers kept giving us a chance,” Stein said. “Our kids kept competing and I can’t say enough about that and about how proud I am.”

Lloyd Nash went 3 of 5 from the plate and Lemoine finished the game batting 2 of 4.