Austin North heads for home after an RBI single by Brandon Briuglio. Nick Ray, rounding second, would also score on the play after an error.

Retif Oil batters led off all six innings with base hits, the defense played error free, and two pitchers allowed one earned run between them. The result was a 5-1 victory over Townsend Homes (St. Charles Catholic) in an American Legion baseball game on Wednesday, June 10 at Kirsch Rooney Stadium.

The Blue Jays likely gained a little extra motivation from a special pre-game visitor in the dugout. Kyle Keller ’11, fresh off being selected in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Miami Marlins, dropped by for a celebratory visit with his prep coach, Joey Latino.

Whatever the reason, Wednesday’s game was arguably the team’s most complete of the season. If there was anything even remotely negative, it was the fact that only two of those six innings that started with base hits yielded runs.

Overall, the Jays connected for 13 hits, including an RBI double by Scott Crabtree that was inches from clearing the right field wall. Four Blue Jays–Alex Galy, Brandon Briuglio, Stephen Stepcich, and Harrison Daste–connected for two hits on the night.

Coach Joey Latino welcomes former Blue Jay Kyle Keller ’11. Keller, fresh off his selection by the Miami Marlins in the Major League Baseball draft, was on hand to support Retif on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Retif Oil pitchers were keeping the Townsend bats on a short leash. The biggest threat came in the top of the fourth when Townsend loaded the bases with nobody out. But starter Hayden Fuentes worked his way out of the jam, yielding only one run in the process.

Reliever Jack Burk entered with runners on first and third and two outs in the top of the fifth and promptly struck out the next batter to end the threat. He wasn’t threatened again as he closed out the win with two more scoreless innings.

Solid performances on the mound have become somewhat routine for Retif. Blue Jay pitchers have given up only two earned runs in the last four games (28 innings of play).

With the win, Retif moves to 3-4 on the season. The Jays will look to win their third straight when they return to John Ryan Stadium on Thursday, June 11 for a game with LLOG Exploration (Mandeville). First pitch is 7:00 p.m.