Michael Kiral / L’Observateur / April 1, 1998

DESTREHAN – The East St. John battery provided the arsenal for theWildcats Saturday afternoon, accounting for six runs in a 10-2 victory over Destrehan.

Pitcher Roydell Williams and catcher Brandon Mason knocked in three runs apiece as the Wildcats improved to 8-9 overall and 3-1 in District 6-5A.

Destrehan fell to 0-11 overall and 0-3 in district play.

Williams also sparkled on the mound, throwing just 63 pitches in tossing the complete game. Williams allowed two runs on three hits whilestriking out four in his first appearance in two weeks. He had pitchedthree innings against Salmen but did not factor into the decision.

“Roydell did a real good job for a second game,” East St. John coach DavidGuillot said.

“He did the same thing against Salmen but I had to take him out because he was just coming off basketball. He has had time to get in shape and isready to be a factor in our pitching staff.”Williams, who did not walk a batter, was backed up by some sparkling plays in the field. In the bottom of the first, Roberto Martinez reached onan error and was sacrificed to second by Todd Picou.

Corey Marcel followed with a drive into the left-center field gap, but left fielder James Brock was there to make a diving catch, keeping Martinez at second. Brock added a running backhanded catch in the bottom of the third.”We are playing as good a defense as any team I have ever seen,” Guillot said. “Our pitchers are not walking many people. They are putting the ballin play and letting the defense make the plays.” In a stark contrast to the last two times the teams had met at Destrehan, when Destrehan took 18-17 and 16-10 victories, the pitchers dominated the early innings. Destrehan starter Jereme Ledet (0-3) retired the firstseven Wildcats and had four strikeouts in the first two innings.

East St. John finally broke through against Ledet in the top of the third.With one out, Brock walked and Billy Williams followed by getting hit by a pitch. Roydell Williams then took a 1-0 offering and launched it over theleft field fence to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

Destrehan countered in the bottom of the inning as Martinez led off with a home run to left field. After Brock’s backhanded catch in the left fieldcorner, Marcel doubled down the third baseline and went to third on a fly ball to right by Mike Bierman. But Williams got out of the inning with astrike out of Jason Pick.

East St. John got that run back in the top of the fourth. Samson Monica ledoff with a single and advanced to second as Justin St. Pierre bobbled theball in left field. After advancing to third on a fly ball by Kent Roussel,Monica scored on a suicide squeeze as Mason laid down a bunt in front of the plate.

East St. John added three runs with a two-out rally in the top of the sixth.Monica singled and Roussel followed by getting hit by a pitch. Mason thenlined Ledet’s first pitch over Picou in right field, scoring both runners to make it 6-1.

Darwin Pittman followed with a slow grounder over the second base bag.

Second baseman Josh Donaldson was able to get to the ball but his throw to first was in the dirt, allowing courtesy runner Mike Brown to score.

Marcel led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run over the right field fence, but East St. John answered with three runs in the top of the seventhto make it 10-2.

Billy Williams led off with a single to left and two outs later, Kerry Watkins was hit by a pitch.

Monica followed by taking Ledet’s first pitch and launching it over the left field fence for a three-run home run.

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