By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

With Riverside and East St. John each looking to rebound from recent losses, the parish rivals played to a 4-4 seven-inning stalemate on Tuesday.

The game was called after seven innings due to darkness.

Host Riverside (1-5-1) had leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in the game, but the Wildcats were able to claw back and finally tie the game in the top of the seventh inning, after ESJ’s Torri Zeno scored following a Riverside throwing error to first.

Much like in East St. John’s 6-5 loss last Saturday to South Lafourche, the Wildcats found themselves in an early hole. But unlike that game, they were able to salvage a tie this time.

“For the third time this year, we started slowly. I told the team that we just can’t keep falling behind,” said East St. John Coach Ryan Sims. “The kids showed a lot of character and came back in a real tough situation. They wouldn’t be denied.”

Riverside coach Britt Waguespack said that mental mistakes cost his team the lead and the potential win.

“The biggest thing for us was those five errors we had. Those cost us. We need to make the routine plays,” he said.

Riverside took a 3-0 lead after an inning after Colby Vicknair, Jade Falgoust and Wade Delaneuville all reached base to load the bases against East St. John starter Josh Brown.  

Timmy Teague’s double brought home two runs, and Chase Bazile grounded out to bring in a third run.

But East St. John (2-1) cut the deficit to one in the third inning. After a dropped infield fly, I’Keem Brown scored to make it 3-1. Corwin Brown then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-2.

Teague singled in the bottom of the inning to bring in Falgoust, putting Riverside ahead 4-3.     

That score held until the sixth as both Brown and Riverside starter Dylan Becnel dueled for the next two innings.

“Josh Brown battled his you-know-what off,” said Sims. “After the first, where he struggled, he shut it down. When you fall behind a good team like that, someone has to step up, and he did.”

In the sixth, I’Keem Brown knocked in Brighton Trepagnier to make it 4-3.

After a lead-off single in the seventh by Justin Howard, RA’s C.J. Delaneuville came on in relief. After retiring Kendrick Sentimore on a grounder, Delaneuville faced Josh Brown, who hit a grounder of his own up the middle. East St. John tied the game when Zeno scored from third as a pinch runner on the ensuing throwing error to first.

“You’ve got to continue to fight for seven innings,” said Waguespack. “Right now, we’re 1-5 for a reason. We need everything to come together. If you pitch and play defense but don’t hit, it doesn’t work. If you pitch well, but the defense isn’t there, it’s gonna be a problem.”