For Retif Oil’s American Legion Season, the Song Is Over

Posted August 11, 2014 / Last updated August 16, 2014

The final prayer of the season: Retif Oil players and coaches gather for some final words before departing Little Rock.

View the Retif Oil – Columbia, Tennessee Photo Gallery (Sunday, August 10, 2014)

View the Retif Oil – Tupelo, MS Photo Gallery (Saturday, August 9, 2014)

View the Retif Oil – Kansas Photo Gallery (Friday, August 8, 2014)

View the Retif Oil – Bryant, Arkansas Photo Gallery (Thursday, August 7, 2014)

For Retif Oil, it was a surprisingly robust season with some unexpected magical touches. But the song is over. Retif Oil’s summer baseball season ended at 25 wins, 13 losses. It was over too fast on a stifling Sunday afternoon in Little Rock at the American Legion’s Mid-South Tournament.

The Jesuit-based Retif team came close to beating a most excellent opponent from Tennessee. But close doesn’t cut it. Retif and Tennessee are two classy teams and they fought like a couple of Rottweiler, swapping leads several times. Retif reclaimed the lead, 7-6, in the bottom of the 7th and appeared to have the boys from Columbia on the ropes. But Tennessee scored two runs in the 8th which Retif couldn’t respond to. Final score: Tennessee 8, Retif 7.

Jack Burk, a right-hander whose arm was instrumental in the second to last game of the state tournament (against Refuel, who Retif beat twice to earn their trip to Little Rock), took the loss. Burk started out shaky and even though he threw his best pitches, the Tennessee team could hit. Burk was nicked for 8 runs on 8 hits. He beaned three batters and struck out 4. Burk’s American Legion season record is 3-2.

Retif had a team total of 13 hits with Scott Crabtree leading the way with four, including three doubles. His batting average for the four games Retif played was .429. Ben Hess (.357) hit a trio of singles. Trent Forshag (.313) had two hits, including a triple. Dan Edmund (.294) was good for a two-bagger. Three Retif players each had a single: Nick Ray (.267) Brandon Briuglio (.267), and Matt Cedro (.167).

Interestingly, Retif defeated Columbia’s Legion team in 2012 at the Mid-South Regional Tournament held in New Orleans. This was the tournament that sent Retif Oil to the World Series in Shelby, N.C. which the team won. Now it’s Columbia’s turn. After beating Retif, the Tennessee team faced the daunting task of returning on Monday to play Bryant, Arkansas (Blacksox). Columbia needed to beat the Blacksox twice to win the tournament. And they did just that, winning the first game 8-3. It was a much closer game the second time around for the championship, but Columbia prevailed, 12-11.

After Sunday’s game between Retif and Columbia, TN, Coach Joey Latino pulled his players to the side for a few minutes and spoke to them from the heart. Below are are his remarks.

When I look back on this summer, I will remember three things: your hard work, your dedication, and your character. That’s really what you gave me, beginning with Christian (Latino) and Glynn Hyer. I can’t thank you two enough. You did it right, that’s all I’m going to say. You did it right. You guys who are coming back next year… Learn from this experience, not just from the baseball aspect, you learn from the loyalty aspect. You learn about what it is to give. You learn what it is to go through something and see it through completion. That’s important.

We live in a world now where it’s “all about me.” It’s all about what I want to do now, and it’s all about my promotion, my showcasing. Nowhere is it worse than in the world of sports. Everything is about the individual. All you have to do is flip on a TV and watch how major league players, professional athletes conduct themselves.

You are the generation of athletes that has got to try and change that. You have to show people what it means to be committed, dedicated, part of something that is significant and real. And American Legion baseball is such a product. We don’t think of it as such in New Orleans and that’s unfortunate. We’ve let it slip away from us. But on a national level, Legion baseball is very, very important and significant.

I can’t thank you guys enough for this summer. It’s been one bumpy road: injuries, mistakes, and frustration. If anybody had told me at the beginning of summer, back in May, that we would be state champions in American Legion and would be playing on the 4th day of the Mid-South Regional, I’d have had a hard time believing them.

We got to this point because of you, your hard work, your dedication, and your character. Remember those three things that I use to define you. They will stick with you for the rest of your life. You’re a good group of boys. I can’t thank you enough. You should appreciate each other as well. You did a lot of growing this summer. You came together, you shared an awful lot in terms of trips, hotels, and activities. All those things are going to bind and bring you together. All those things work to make you a unit, a cohesive and a strong unit. I’m excited about what we have going into next prep season. Beyond that you guys are going to be fine, ok? You’re going to be fine. Now come together for one last prayer.

Tournament Statistics: Team & Leaders Summary

Tournament Statistics: Game Results

View Retif Oil – Tennessee Play-by-Play Box Score

N.O. Advocate: Retif Oil eliminated from regional

Galleries

American Legion Baseball (Mid-South Regional Tournament in Little Rock): Retif Oil (7) vs. Columbia, Tennessee (8), Sunday, August 10, 2014

Jack Burk pitched 7.2 innings, gave up 8 runs on 8 hits, beaned three Tennessee batters, and struck out 4. Burk's record for the season is 3-2.
The final prayer of the season: Retif Oil players and coaches gather for some final words before departing Little Rock.
Retif goes 3-up, 3-down in the bottom of the 9th and the game is over. The two teams meet on the field. Tennessee went on to defeat Arkansas twice to win the Mid-South Regional Tournament and a trip to the World Series in Shelby, N.C. Retif closed the 2014 season with a 25-13 record.
... and the Tennessee batter slides safely into 3B for a triple.
Matt Cedro can't reach this fly ball hit to deep left field....
In the top of the 9th, Christian Latino fields a bunt and throws to Dan Edmund for the out.
Christian Latino relieves Jack Burk with two outs in the 8th inning.
The throw to catcher Trent Forshag is not in time and Tennessee ties the game in the top of the 8th inning. A second run scores in the same inning and suddenly Tennessee retakes the lead, 8-7.
Nick Ray tries to get a glove on this bullet which is ruled foul.
... only to be caught and easily tagged. But Retif scores a run to take a 7-6 lead after 7 innings.
Scott Crabtree is between 1st and 2B and should have stopped on the two-bagger. But miscommunication results in Crabtree going for 3rd base...
Scott Crabtree is 4 for 4 after hitting this pitch to right field for a double that scores Trent Forshag at 3B.
... Forshag has himself a triple as the throw to 3B is not in time.
In the bottom of the 7th, Trent Forshag hits a ball to deep right center. He rounds 1B and heads to second, looking at Coach Latino for some direction...
Harrison Daste catches this fly ball in the 7th inning.
Jack Burk started on the mound for Retif Oil against the team from Columbia, Tennessee.
Matt Cedro, who reached 1B on a fielder's choice, advances to 2B on a passed ball. The 6th inning ends with the game still tied at 6 apiece.
Facing a 3-2 count, Nick Ray passes on the next pitch. Certain it was a ball, he tosses his bat toward the dugout and takes one step toward 1B. Ray stands momentarily in disbelief when the umpire calls him out.
In the bottom of the 6th, Ben Hess singles to center field.
Brandon Briuglio singles to right field, scoring Forshag from 2B. In the top of the 6th inning, Tennessee scores a run to tie the game again, 6-6.
Scott Crabtree goes 3 for 3, singling to center field.
... scoring Dan Edmund who was on 2B after a walk and a passed ball.
In the bottom of the 5th, Retif takes the lead, 6-5. Trent Forshag singles...
Retif catcher Trent Forshag is on the money again with his throw to Alex Galy, who puts the tag on this runner attempting to steal 2B.
Jack Burk at the start of the 4th inning, the first inning in which Tennessee did not score a run.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Scott Crabtree hit his second double of the game to score Alex Galy, who had walked, making it a 5-4 ball game.
Alex Galy puts the tag on this would-be base stealer in the top of the 3rd. Tennessee scored 2 runs to take a 5-3 lead.
Nick Ray gets caught stealing 2B to end the bottom of the 2nd inning. Retif and Tennessee were tied, 2-2.
Retif Oil scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning to take a 2-1 lead. But in the top of the 2nd, Tennessee scored 2 runs to reclaim the lead, 3-2. In the bottom of the 2nd, Ben Hess slides safely to 3B. Hess singled and advanced to 2B on Matt Cedro's base hit. Hess took 3B on a throwing error by the rightfielder and scored when Nick Ray made it to 1B on a fielder's choice.
Nick Ray, who singled and advanced to 2B on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Galy, rounds 3B for home after Dan Edmund doubled in the bottom of the 1st inning.