By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Hahnville-based Otto Candies staved off elimination on Sunday, but saw its summer season end Monday at the Southeast Regional, Rummel-based Nationwide Restoration took a 6-4 win over Otto at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

It was the second loss of the double elimination regional tourney for Otto Candies, which had just notched a 12-2 win over Laneco Construction (Pope John Paul II) a day earlier to stay alive.

After falling behind 5-1, Otto Candies rallied to cut the deficit to 5-4 after six innings.

But Nationwide (22-8) pitchers Michael Wisecarver (6-1) and Albert Hotfelter held Otto at bay for the remainder of the game.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Dillon Boudreaux came up to bat for Otto Candies (19-12) with one on and two out. He lined a shot down the rightfield line, but it was straight to Nationwide first baseman Jordan Manella to end the game.

“We had a rough start, but we battled,” said Otto Candies Assistant Coach Chris Mire. “Everyone fought hard today to get back. In the end, we were one hit away.”

Jordan Unger (3-1) took the loss for Otto Candies after going seven innings.

Wisecarver allowed at least one baserunner, and often multiple ones, in each of his seven innings of work.

But outside of a three run sixth for Otto Candies, he was able to wriggle free from trouble each time and eliminate the threat.

“(Wisecarver) did a great job keeping (Otto Candies) at bay, even though we didn’t do a lot to help him out,” said Nationwide Restoration Coach David Baudry. “It’s the performance you expect out of a senior leader.”

After two walks in the second inning, Nationwide took a 1-0 lead when Manalla slapped a base hit to left field to score the game’s first run.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the third after an error by Jared Harrell allowed Wisecarver to score, making it 2-0.

In the fifth, Ryan Pursell and Kyle Zara each singled to bring in runs, pushing the lead to 4-0.

Otto Candies got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when a John Gomez double brought home Blaise Dempster.

Nationwide added a run in the fifth, but Otto Candies roared back in the sixth after Harrell’s double led off the bottom half. A single by Boudreaux made it 5-2, and a RBI grounder by Jared Vial cut the lead to 5-3. Brandon Young would cap the Otto Candies scoring after he came home on an error by shortstop Taylor Hart, but Otto Candies would get no closer.

Gomez was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate to lead Otto hitters.

The game was sloppy at times. The teams combined for six errors, five coming in the last four innings. Each team made its share of baserunning mistakes as well, which may have cost each side its share of runs.

In addition, Baudry admitted his team would have to get back to what it had done in previous contests – coming up with the clutch hit to finish off the opposition.

“We had been doing that, but today we just couldn’t” said Baudry. “We left a lot of runners on base. We have to be able to land that knockout punch.”  

Otto Candies 12, Laneco Construction 2 – Otto Candies notched a win in eight innings by the 10-run rule on Sunday to extend it’s stay at the regional against Pope John Paul II—based Laneco Construction.

Harrell was 4-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the team. Gomez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Boudreaux went 2-for-4.

Ryan Waters went six innings and picked up the win.

Otto Candies fell behind 2-1 after an inning, but scored three runs in the third to take the lead for good.