Behind a 5-4 extra-inning victory, Jesuit’s Jr. Legion team, the Retif Oil Drillers, won the 2021 Louisiana American Legion National League State Championship Tournament held this past July 6-8 at John Ryan Stadium.  Four teams had qualified for the double-elimination championship tournament, and the Drillers won three consecutive games to claim the state title:  11-1 over Lakeshore HS-based Mortgage Gumbo; 24-2 over John Curtis HS-based Post 267; and, in the championship game, 5-4 (8-innings) over Mortgage Gumbo.  The following players made key contributions to the Drillers’ victories:

Drillers – 11   Mortgage Gumbo – 1

Will Soter went 2 for 4 with 2 triples and 2 RBIs; Jackson Stopa went 2 for 2 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs; Luke Werling went 2 for 2; and Bryce Pitts pitched 6 innings of 2-hit ball, recording 8 strikeouts and giving up only 1 run, to record the win.

Drillers – 24   Post 267 – 2

Aidan Corbello hit 2 for 3 with a triple and 2 RBIs; Jackson Stopa hit 2 for 3 with 1 RBI; Alex Jeansonne hit 3 for 3 with a double and 6 RBIs; and Scout Hughes, Will Homes, and Alex Jeansonne combined to pitch a one-hitter.

Drillers – 5     Mortgage Gumbo – 4   (8 innings)

Russell Cresson delivered a key pinch hit single; Patrick Berrigan went 2 for 4, including a game-tying single in the bottom of the 6^th inning and a game-winning single in the bottom of the 8^th; and Jack Ainsworth recorded the win after giving up only one hit and no runs in 5 2/3 innings of relief.