By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

COVINGTON — After starting this season 0-4, East St. John finds itself on a roll.

The Wildcats have won six of their last eight games, including a sweep of the Archbishop Hannan tournament this past weekend. ESJ defeated Pearl River, Crescent City and St. Martin’s to even its record out at 6-6.

“We’re finally starting to put things together,” said East St. John coach Curtis Tsuruda. “We’re hitting with men on base, which was our Achilles’ heel be.-fore. Our pitchers did a good job… This is great for their confidence, especially the close victories. If you do it once, you know you can do it again later on.”

The Wildcats first secured a significant victory over a strong Pearl River team, 9-7.

Daniel Franklin went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead ESJ at the plate. Shawn Jackson had a double and two RBIs. Ashton Lewis earned the win on the mound.

“Our guys are learning to be more disciplined in their approach,” said Tsuruda. “To be able to play well whether you’re ahead or behind … in football, it’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. In baseball, for it to bounce you need to hit it. You need to create your own breaks, and they’re learning that.”

The Wildcats followed that victory up with a more dominating performance against Crescent City, a 12-3 victory.

A number of Wildcats hit well in the win. Darnell Lee went 3-for-3. Meanwhile, Lewis, Bruce Winn, Brown and Donald August each collected two hits. Winn notched the win for ESJ.

Franklin had another strong performance in a 7-6 win over St. Martin’s, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. I’Kee Brown picked up the victory.

 Tsuruda said that his players are pleased with the recent success, but he cautions that it’s very early. “It’s a marathon,” he said. “Our players are in uncharted waters. Not so much in the record, but in what we’re trying to do. The season is a grind, and we’ve got to work hard to keep the momentum going.”鶝