Nick Ray is mobbed by teammates after the second of his inside-the-park home runs gave Retif a 7-6 lead. Ray also picked up the win in relief of starter Connor Maginnis.

Retif Oil came into Thursday night’s contest with Mandeville-based LLOG minus three starters. Shortstop Alex Galy and left fielder Scott Crabtree were at at college orientations at Tulane and UNO, respectively. First baseman Daniel Edmund, meanwhile, was on a family vacation.

Fortunately, Nick Ray showed up to pick up the slack. Ray belted two inside-the-park homers and knocked in six runs to lead the Jays to a come-from-behind 9-7 victory in an American Legion game at John Ryan Stadium.

If that wasn’t enough, Ray also played a little  shortstop before picking up the win in relief of Retif starter Connor Maginnis, who was knocked out of the game in the second inning when the Jays spotted the visitors a six-run lead.

Retif didn’t waste any time chipping away at that lead, scoring four runs apiece in the bottom of the second and third innings to snatch back control of the game. Ray hit his home runs in each of those innings, accounting for all six Blue Jay RBIs on the night in the process. Retif’s other three runs came on two balks and a fielder’s choice.

Just when Ray seemed to be tiring a bit on the mound, Mason Mayfield arrived on the premises in time to pitch the final two and a third innings for the save. Mayfield had high-tailed it to the stadium after a work shift that ended at 8:00 p.m.

The win is the third in a row for Retif, which improved its record to 4-4. The Jays don’t have to wait long for a chance to climb above .500 on the season. On Friday night, Otto Candies visits John Ryan for a 6:00 p.m. contest.