Nick Ray hit this pitch for a stand-up triple in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Retif Oil took advantage of three errors by Refuel (Archbishop Shaw), along with a timely two-run double by Matt Cedro, to crank out a 4-1 win at an inter-district American Legion game Thursday evening at John Ryan Stadium.

The win improved Retif’s record to 11-4 with a crucial game against Ponstein’s (Holy Cross) scheduled Wednesday evening, June 25 at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium. First pitch is approximately 7 p.m.  At stake is the #1 seed for this weekend’s American Legion District Tournament. A Retif win against Ponstein’s will put the Jesuit-based team in the driver’s seat as the top seed. A Retif loss will allow Peake BMW (Brother Martin) to claim the #1 seed.

Against Refuel, a District 2 Legion team with an 11-2-1 record, Retif rotated in four pitchers who effectively stymied the West Bank-based team. Three of the four Retif pitchers each threw two innings — Mason Mayfield, Logan Hornung, and Brandon Briuglio. Sean Bretz pitched only the third inning but it was enough to pick up the win, improving his record to 2-0. Retif’s pitchers gave up a total of five hits by Refuel. Retif managed only four hits — a triple and a single by infielder Nick Ray, a single by Alex Galy (who played 2nd base), and Cedro’s double that was hit deep between left and center fields, yielding two RBIs.

The Retif-Refuel game started late because of  inclement weather. Last Friday, June 20, Retif dropped a 3-2 game to Belle Chasse, but the contest doesn’t count in Legion standings. Retif was supposed to play Peake BMW on Monday, June 23 at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, but that game was canceled because the field was deluged by thunderstorms.