By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur
EDGARD – West St. John’s softball team is at full-strength and it’s 1-4 start a now-distant memory.
With the end of basketball season last week, the Rams now have their full compliment of players and have quickly established their identity: this team can really swing the bat, as evidenced by a 30-12 win over St. James Monday and 14-1 and 26-3 wins over Karr and L.B. Landry respectively at the first annual West St. John softball tournament over the weekend.
The Rams hit a whopping eight home runs over the three games, an monster number when considering that the team record in a single-season was six.
“We’ve really been able to put the bat on the ball this year. It’s been crazy,” said West St. John coach Brandon Dumas. “We’ve been really stressing using your whole body when hitting the ball and driving it. And we’ve been finding those outfield gaps.
“One the girls hit the bases, we’ve been preaching to run all out like you’re on the track. They might be a little competitive with one another now, talking about who can finish with the most home runs.”
The Rams trailed 6-4 entering the third inning at St. James Monday, but took control after putting up a 12-run third inning that made it 16-6.
WSJ put up five in the fourth and nine in the fifth to win officially by the 10-run rule.
Harley Morris was one of the players the Lady Rams got back from basketball season and she’s already made a big impact. Monday, she slammed two inside the park home runs and went 4 for 5 at the plate while collecting six RBIs.
Tajh Melancon also went 4 for 5 and socked a home run of her own – her’s cleared the fence, just the second time a Ram has done that at West St. John – the first was Morris, last season.
Danae Lumar went 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Elexi Bailey went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and the game’s second inside the park home run.
Pitcher Sydnei Young – also back from basketball – went the distance to earn the win. She struck out four and moved her record to 3-1.
Against Karr Saturday, Donasia Bell went 4 for 4 with four RBIs. Melancon hit an inside the park home run while going 3 for 4 with three RBIs. Treshaun Trench went 2 for 3 with an inside the park home run. Bailey went 2 for 2. Young earned the win on the mound, striking out six.
Against Landry, WSJ scored the win by the 15 run rule in three innings, putting up 10 first inning runs and 12 third inning runs.
Bell went 4 for 4 again with a grand slam inside the park home run – Bell, another recent addition from basketball, finished the tournament a perfect 8 for 8. Trench went 3 for 4 with her own inside the park home run. Young earned the win, striking out four.
“One through nine, I feel like anyone can come up big,” said Dumas. “I’ve got as much confidence in our 7 through 9 girls as I do the players at the top.
“They’re having a lot of fun. The important thing is to come out and play with pride, and we’ve really done that.”
West St. John collected 15 hits in each of its weekend tournament games.
That number spiked to 22 in Monday’s win over St. James.