Ladycats bounce back with win over Bonnabel
Published 12:46 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2015
RESERVE — East St. John broke a three-game losing streak Monday, the Lady Wildcats earning a 14-3 victory over Bonnabel at home.
Kirsten Case went 2 for 4 with a home run. Orianna Johnson went 3 for 3 with a home run and a double. Taylor Lipps went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run.
Chanell Simmons earned the win on the mound, striking out four in a complete game effort. She also tripled at the plate.
With the win, the Wildcats (4-6) are one win away from equaling their 2014 output of victories.
ESJ had lost games decisively against Hahnville, St. James and Thibodaux, and Smith said the win over Bonnabel (2-6) was a lift for his team.
“We’re a young program, and we feel like we’re definitely on the rise,” first-year East St. John coach Chad Smith said. “We’ve got a group of naturally athletic girls, but we’re learning the game of softball. When you face programs like Hahnville and Thibodaux, the game changes. We’re still getting started.”
Smith said his team picked it up in a big way after a slow start Monday.
“We eliminated errors for the most part,” Smith said. “We committed one, and that’s a big shift from what we had been doing.”
Johnson, a sophomore, has swung a hot bat all season as the team’s leadoff hitter. Lipps has also given the team a shot in the arm in her freshman season.
“(Johnson) is a natural born leader and she carries high expectations with her,” Smith said. “She plays extremely hard, and our girls take after her example. Taylor’s a two-sport star that’s come in and progressed really quickly. We’re really young, but we have some promise.”