MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / June 24, 2000

BOUTTE – Before their game against Otto Candies Tuesday afternoon, Cretin Homes assistant coach David Lowry reminded his players of Skip Bertman’s speech prior to the College World Series championship game about being aggressive at the plate and having fun.

The players responded, jumping out to a 7-1 lead after the first two innings and letting the pitching of Michael Bonura and Jason LaPorte take over the rest of the way for a 9-6 victory.

The win improved Cretin Homes to 3-5 overall and in Second District play.

Otto Candies fell to 3-4 in both district and overall. The game was amakeup of one postponed from Saturday.

Bonura (2-1) pitched the first five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out six. LaPorte came in to pitch in thesixth, walking one while striking out two. Matt Caire (1-2) got the loss.”I can’t say enough about Mike,” Lowry, filling in for head coach Paul Waguespack who was away at a football coaching clinic, said. “We hadtalked to him about being focused. He got into some jams but was able toget out of them and Jason came up big in the last couple of innings.” Mike Mustian opened the game with a walk off Caire and Justin Chauvin followed with a double to right field. A double to left-center by JasonWaguespack scored both runners. After a walk by Toby Jacob and a wildpitch, Waguespack scored on a safety squeeze by Randy Madere, making it 3-0.

Jeremy Triche followed with a single to left. After Jacob scored on a wildpitch and Bonura walked, Matt Arceneaux singled to short, scoring courtesy runner Andrew Revall for a 5-0 lead.

“We talked in the pregame about being aggressive,” Lowry said. “We wereat the beginning of the year and we were today. We are a better hittingball club when we jump on the pitcher. The kids did what we asked them todo. They jumped out ahead and Mike kept us in the lead.”Otto Candies got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning. LeeTregre led off with a double inside the left field line, went to third on a passed ball and scored as Mike Picard reached on an error by Waguespack.

Bonura retired the next three hitters to get out of the inning with Cretin Homes ahead 5-1.

A double to left by Waguespack and singles by Jacob and Madere brought in a run for Cretin Homes in the top of the second against Otto Candies reliever John Paul Halbrook. Jason Rauch then delivered a two-out singleto left, scoring Jacob for a 7-1 lead.

That lead grew to 9-1 in the fourth. Waguespack was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning and scored two outs later on Triche’s double to left. Revall,courtesy running, rounded third on Rauch’s single to left and scored as third baseman Ryan Chiasson’s throw went past shortstop Joey Bourgeois covering the bag.

Bonura got out of trouble in the second and third innings behind double plays by Waguespack and Rauch. Caire lined a single to left to open thefourth and Josh Adams drew a one-out walk.

Jarred Farrell followed with a double to right, scoring Caire and courtesy runner Ryan Burke. Farrell would score on a balk by Bonura, cutting thedeficit to 9-4.

Otto Candies pulled closer in the fifth. With one out, Tim Sirmon tripled tocenter field and Caire walked. Bourgeois struck out but the ball got pastTriche.

Triche threw down to first to get Bourgeois with Sirmon beating Madere’s throw home to make it 9-5. Adams then drove in Caire with a single tocenter, bringing Otto Candies to within 9-6.

Cretin Homes answered in the sixth against Mike Picard. Jacob led off byreaching on error, went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a passed ball and scored as Rauch reached on an error.

LaPorte retired six of the seven batters he faced, getting the side in order in the seventh.

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