by RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Host West St. John notched its first win of the season in impressive fashion on Thursday, defeating Donaldsonville 10-0 in five innings by the ten-run rule.

Dray Joseph was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Barry Hanson was 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs and a triple to lead the Ram batters. Romell Howard collected two hits and two RBIs as well.

The Rams (1-2) went up 3-0 in the second inning, and scored two or more in the final three innings to secure the win.

“It’s always good to get your first win of the year,” said West St. John Coach Lennix Madere. “It gets the spirit up in the clubhouse. We were up for this game.”

Carl Herbert (1-1) went all five innings on the mound for the Rams en route to his first victory. He struck out eight batters and allowed only two hits.

Romell Howard put West St. John on the board first with an RBI single in the second inning. Herbert then helped his own cause with a two-run single that scored Kenny Taylor and Dray Joseph, making it 3-0.

In the third, Hanson got on base after getting hit by a pitch, and Taylor reached on a single. Howard again collected an RBI on a single, as did Joseph one batter later.

Madere said the difference between this win and the two losses (to Bethany and Christian Life, last week) was that his team eliminated mistakes.

“We made all the routine plays. No errors on the day, and we pitched well. That gave us a chance to win,” he said. “We didn’t play well defensively in the first two, and it got us two losses. It was a different story today.”