By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Make it four in a row for Townsend Homes.

The St. Charles Catholic-based American Legion team has yet to taste defeat this summer, most recently toppling Hahnville-based Otto Candies 6-4 Monday at Comet Field to move its record to 4-0.

“With summer baseball, it comes down to who wants to be out here,” Townsend coach Wayne Stein said. “Both of these teams came in undefeated and I thought our guys accepted that challenge. We needed something good to happen early and we got it.”

Zach Weber went six innings to earn the win on the mound for Townsend. He allowed four runs on five hits. Zach Roussel pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the save.

“I can’t say enough about Zach Weber, or both Zachs, really,” said Stein. “Our pitching has been a pleasant surprise this summer. We lost almost every inning pitched from prep season. Austin (Weber) started four games, and he’s the one guy back.  With the five seniors we had on the mound, we lose all but about 20 innings. We’ve had guys really step up so far.”

Justin Ory went 3 for 3 with two RBIs. Austin Weber and Jon Brown also drove in runs for Townsend.

Townsend Homes scored all six of its runs in the first two innings off Otto Candies starter Todd Porche.

“We had to jump up early,” Ory said. “We didn’t want to have an up hill fight on our hands.”

Otto Candies coach David Baudry was ejected in the fourth inning after arguing the result of a Townsend Homes pickoff play at third base.

Townsend Homes opened the scoring with a pair of first inning runs, first on a sacrifice fly by Brown and then an RBI double by Ory. That followed a leadoff walk and a single by Dane Authement and Weber respectively.

“I was looking for a first pitch fastball there and I jumped on it,” Ory said.

Otto Candies answered with Garrett Smith’s RBI double in the bottom of the first, but Townsend got back to it in the second inning. Justin Loupe drew a walk and Justin Dubose reached on an error for Townsend. A second error on a ball hit by Weber led to both runners scoring. Austin Weber came up next, lacing a single to the outfield to make it 5-1. Then Ory came through again, his own RBI single making it 6-1.

In the third inning, Otto Candies relieved Porche with Waylon LeBlanc, who allowed no runs the rest of the way. Otto Candies added a run in the fourth on Drew Favre’s RBI groundout, then made its biggest push in the fifth on an RBI double by Tyler Lamers and an RBI groundout by Mark Abate, making it 6-4.

But Zach Weber allowed no hits in the sixth, and after he allowed a leadoff single in the seventh, Zach Roussel came on and retired the final three batters to seal the victory — with an assist from centerfielder Authement, whose diving catch on a ball hit by Lamers recorded for the first out.

Monday marked the longest career outing on the mound for Weber with SCC/Townsend Homes.

“I was trying to keep the ball down,” Weber said “At the end there, I felt like I was leaving the ball up a little and starting to get hit.

“But it feels awesome to go out and get the win. We lost seven seniors, but we’re off to a very good start.”

TOWNSEND HOMES 9, JOHN EHRET 0 — Townsend Homes scored eight first inning runs last week to capture a decisive victory for their third win of the summer.

Nick Scioneaux earned the win. He tossed a complete game, striking out six and allowing five hits.