By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Behind some clutch late-game hitting East St. John was able to even its record on Tuesday with a 6-2 victory over South Terrebonne in a non-district softball game.

“There’s a lot of team unity and togetherness displayed with this bunch,” said ESJ coach Monica Hebert. “It’s definitely showing on the field over the past week.”

While it was a “home game” for East St. John and the Wildcats (4-4) batted in the bottom half, the game was contested at South Terrebonne due to the Wildcats’ field being too wet to compete on due to rain.

Home field or no, East St. John had enough answers on Thursday.

Alexis Banks and Jessica Sanford each led East St. John by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Kayla Bourgeois went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Starter Stephanie LeBlanc (4-4) allowed seven hits and walked nobody in earning the win.

“She’s doing a good job up there, getting grounders and pop ups. And our defense is making the plays behind her, which is certainly key,” said Hebert.

South Terrebonne took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and held that advantage until the bottom of the fourth. That was when Banks singled and drove in two Wildcat runs to tie the game.

In the fifth, Samantha Owens reached on an error and Bourgeois knocked in the go-ahead run, the first of three in the inning. That left ESJ with a 5-2 lead. It would tack on one more run in the sixth.

Last Thursday, it was another late game score that guided ESJ to its third win of the season, a 2-1 win over Thibodaux.

The Wildcats led 1-0 after an inning, but Thibodaux tied things up with a run in the fifth.

ESJ took the lead for good, scoring the eventual game deciding run in the sixth on a squeeze play where Owens bunted Aleshia Murray home from third.

“I told the girls in the huddle while there was no scoring that if we’re not hitting the ball and getting what we need here, lets hold them down until we do,” said Hebert. “The girls did that and found a way to win.”

ESJ begins distict play on Tuesday when it hosts St. Amant.