Championship game slated for Monday

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

DESTREHAN–Refined.

Ironically enough, and despite three errors in the game, that’s what Valero St. Charles looked like Thursday evening in the first round of the American Legion District II playoff tournament against St. Charles’ Cretin Homes squad.

Ranked fourth in the western division, Cretin Homes came into the game, at Destrehan, with a 5-6 record to match-up against the top-ranked DHS Valero squad and their 11-4 record. Cretin Homes took the plate first and put themselves in position early to make a statement against the favored team. Second baseman Kyle Faucheax reached on a dropped fly ball to center field and right fielder Jordan Millet singled down the baseline at third to threaten. But Valero’s starting pitcher, Kyle Schnelski, served up a pitch that catcher Phillip Sutton drove deep into the outfield, but right into the center fielder’s glove. Valero answered right back though, getting through six batters on their way to three runs in the bottom of the first for a 3-0 lead. That began with a single by DHS’s Joe Harrison through the gap at shortstop. But Harrison was caught stealing on a picture perfect throw by SCC’s Sutton. Then, with two runners on and one out, Valero attempted a double steal that resulted in Watkins getting stuck in a pickle at third. But he managed to beat Sutton back to the bag leaving the designated hitter Kyle Gaudere in position to add to the lead. But Cretin Homes starter Steven Duhe pitched through it, getting Gaudere to ground out to shortstop Corey Reed.

St. Charles’ squad stiffened up after that exchange, retiring the side in three batters at their next time in the field, and set themselves up to mount a drive in the third. That began with the top of the lineup taking the batter’s box. Centerfielder Jonathan Cancienne reached base after being hit by a pitch and Faucheax followed with a walk on balls as did left fielder Matt Walters. That left the bases loaded with none away for right fielder Jordan Millet who sacrifice flied to deep centerfield to score Cancienne. But Valero managed to strand the rest of the base runners as Schnelski got two straight SCC batters to pop-out.

Play got a little more conservative after that, with each team going two full innings without much of a threat. But in the bottom of the sixth, Valero added some insurance when left fielder Joe Harrison drove in two runs with a hot shot that made it deep into the outfield. Once the side was retired, Cretin Homes had three outs to go to make up a 6-1 deficit. It looked like magic when DHS put pinch hitter Nick Reine and Fauchex on base, both on four balls. With Walters at the plate, the Valero coach brought in Gaudere to relieve. Walters hit a liner to third that scored Reine and Fauchex worked his way out of a rundown when the second baseman overthrew third to make it a 6-3 game. But Gaudere finished off the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to bring it to a close after six and a half innings.

The double elimination tournament was set to pick back up Friday with Cretin Homes traveling to East Jefferson for the first game in the loser’s bracket. Hahnville’s Otto Candies team will be playing Valero at Destrehan as well on Friday for the semi-finals round of the winner’s bracket. The loser of that game will play the winner of the game between Cretin Homes and East Jefferson. The championships are set for Monday.