By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

An early rash of errors ended up being the deciding factor on Saturday, West St. John fell to host Ecole Classique, 4-1.

The Rams committed four errors in the first two innings of play. The Spartans took full advantage, scoring three unearned runs in the first inning and putting the Rams on their heels.

“Playing from behind is tough,” said West St. John Coach Lennix Madere. “After that first inning, we played some pretty goods defense. But we just didn’t get the hits with runners on base.

“If we eliminate the mistakes, maybe it’s a 1-0 or a 2-1 game, but instead we got behind 3-0.”

West St. John (1-3) struggled in taking advantage of its offensive opportunities, leaving six runners in scoring position.

Freshman Reynaldo Trench (0-1) made his first start for the Rams, allowing one earned run and six hits over seven innings.   

“He started and did very well,” said Madere. “We just needed a little more support behind him.”

West St. John cut a 3-0 lead to 3-1 in the second inning, when Dray Joseph followed a double by Romell Howard with a base hit of his own.

But West St. John could never get on a roll, and a Spartans (3-0) run in the fourth would be the last score of the game.

Joseph and Howard each were 2-for-3 in the game.

“We hit the ball hard, but they made the plays they needed to,” said Madere. “They had some good hops, and maybe if a ball goes 2 to 3 inches another way, it’s a different story. We made good contact with runners on, but hit it straight to them.”

Madere says that his team will refocus itself on fundamentals to get back on the winning track.

    “We’ll work on our defense, work with the pitching machine more,” he said. “Take some more reps. We need to get off to a good start next time, and be more focused at the beginning.”