SLIDING — Steubenville’s Sadie Carducci slides safely past Weir High catcher Sophia Mikula on Monday. (Photo by Andrew Grimm)

STEUBENVILLE — When a team has a player like Steubenville junior Madison Fields, it can make a big difference.

Fields had three hits and four RBIs at the plate, while shutting down Weir High in the circle to lead the Big Red softball team to a 12-2, mercy-rule victory over the Red Riders Monday evening at the Franciscan University of Steubenville softball field.

“Madi is Madi,” Steubenville head coach Gus DiMarzio said. “She is a tough kid, and she is a fighter. She wants the ball, and she does great things. She had 10 ground-ball outs. When you’re a coach and you see the ball on the ground like that, you’re happy.”

Fields crushed a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, driving in two more runs in the second inning and scored all three times she was on base.

“She is a player,” DiMarzio said. “You can look at it any way you want. She is a great kid that loves the game and plays her heart out.”

In the circle, Fields struck out two, walked one and put together three 1-2-3 innings, while keeping Weir High’s hitters off balance.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Madi Fields,” Weir High head coach Frank Sisinni said. “She kept us off balance. I think at one point in the middle of the game she only had 26 pitches. We didn’t put the ball where we needed to put it, and that is a credit to them and their program.”

Fields was one of six different Big Red (6-2) players to record multiple hits. Lakyn Blackburn also had three hits and three RBIs, while Stef Mikel Blackburn, Sami Cucarese, Raven Banks and Sadie Carducci all record two hits. Leah Ferguson had a two-run double, while Banks, Carducci and Mary Marshall also drove in runs.

“We’re hitting the ball well, and the key to winning is throwing strikes and being able to hit,” DiMarzio said. “We’ve done that, and hopefully we can continue to do that all year. I don’t know what it is — I’m not going to tell you I’m a good hitting coach — but these are good players, and they worked hard all summer. Lucky for us, it’s paying off now.”

All nine Big Red players were on base at least once.

The Red Riders (7-8) were coming off a successful week during in which they won four-straight games (three by the mercy rule), but the momentum did not carry over to Monday.

“Coming off of last week, this was a week where we thought we would have something rolling,” Sisinni said. “It was one of those games where anything that can happen, did happen in the worst way for us. Give (Big Red) credit, coach DiMarzio does a tremendous job. You know when you play a program like Big Red, you’re going to see a lot of hits and solid defense.

“That’s exactly what I am going to tell the team — we have to show up every day. We have to get ready for the second season, and we have got some work to do.”

After Fields quickly retired the side in order in the top of the first, Lakyn Blackburn doubled in a pair of runs before Fields’ shot over the fence made it a 4-0 game.

Fields again sat the Red Riders down in order in the top of the second, before the Big Red bats got going again in the bottom half, plating six runs while batting all the way through the order.

Fields drove in two runs with a single, Marshall followed her up with an RBI single of her own, Carducci drove in a run, before Ferguson’s double cashed in two more to make it a 10-0 Steubenville lead.

Samantha Kaczmarek broke up the no-hitter leading off the third, putting the first pitch she saw from Fields over the fence for her second dinger in as many games.

Lakyn Blackburn and Banks drove in runs in the bottom half to round out the Big Red scoring.

Mallory Rosnick led off the top of the fifth with a double and scored on a passed ball, but it was not enough to extend the game, as Fields fanned two of the final three batters to end the game and seal the win for Steubenville.

Weir High will look to get back on track against Indian Creek today at home.

Steubenville travels to Jefferson Lake State Park to battle Edison today.

(Grimm can be reached at agrimm@heraldstaronline.com)

Steubenville 12, Weir High 2

Weir High 0-0-1 0-1 — 2-2-2

Steubenville 4-6-2 0-x — 12-16-0

WEIR HIGH (7-8): Tice (LP, 4IP, 12R, 11ER, 16H, 0K, 1BB) and Mikula.

STEUBENVILLE (6-2): Fields (WP, CG, 2R, 2ER, 2H, 2K, 1BB) and Carducci.

TWO OR MORE HITS: Weir High none. Steubenville (S. Blackburn 2, S. Cucarese 2, L. Blackburn 3, Fields 3, Banks 2, Carducci 2). DOUBLES: Weir High 1 (M. Rosnick); Steubenville 2 (l. Blackburn, Ferguson). TRIPLES: none. HOME RUNS: Weir High 1 (Kaczmarek); Steubenville 1 (Fields). RBIs: Weir High 1 (Kaczmarek); Steubenville 12 (L. Blackburn 3, Fields 4, Marshall, Banks, Carducci, Ferguson 2).