STEUBENVILLE — The Big Red softball team committed a plethora of mistakes against Wheeling Park, however, Big Red still had a chance to pull a rabbit of the hat in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Trailing by four runs, Big Red loaded the bases with two outs and had their top hitter — Sena Smith — on deck, however, Patriots pitcher Emma Wear induced a flyout to center fielder Grace Tamburin to escape with a 7-3 victory Wednesday evening at the Crimson Complex.

Big Red struggled defensively as the hosts committed seven errors, had two runners thrown out on the bases — one at second and one at third — and left 10 runners on base, including five in the last two innings on their way to suffering their first loss of the season.

“We got outplayed, and that falls directly on my shoulders,” Big Red (4-1) head coach Gus DiMarzio said. “Those errors are my fault. If I do not get better, how can I expect my players to? We had runners thrown out on the bases. We ran ourselves out of innings, and that’s on me. How can you come back …when you make seven errors? 

“We did not play well. We played like we do not practice. We played like we had no idea what the game is about. That falls on my shoulders.”

The hosts committed three errors in the first two innings enabling the visitors to build a 6-0 lead.

“That was a good win for us,” Wheeling Park (6-3) head coach Pat Durkin said. “They are ahead of us in the OVAC standings. This was a nice win for us as we try to catch up to them in the next week in the standings.”

The visitors from Ohio County led 7-1 after the top of the fourth before Big Red chipped away at their deficit as the home team attempted to rally for their third come-from-behind victory of the season.

After falling behind by six runs for the second time, Big Red responded with a run in the home half of the fourth to make the score 7-2. Big Red continued to battle back as they tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth.

Big Red scored a run in the sixth, and had runners on second and third with one out, Wear recorded a strikeout and got a groundout to third to end the threat and the inning. 

“Emma called me out to the mound in the sixth,” Durkin said. “I said, ‘It better be important.’ She said, ‘It was.’ She was cool, calm and collected on the mound. She handled their hitters.”

Big Red’s last gasp came in the seventh. Sophia Zorne singled with one out, and Sagan Smarella reached on an error to put two runners on base. After a pop-up, Emily Tuttle singled to load the bases, however, a flyball to center ended that threat and ultimately the game.

“How did we have a chance? When you make seven errors, and we gave them five runs,” DiMarzio said. “What was the score, 7-3? We did that, and we still had a shot. How did we still have a shot? 

“They outplayed us. You have to give them all the credit. They outplayed us.”

Wear picked up the win for the Patriots — striking out three and walking two.

Isabella Cadile took the loss for Big Red. She struck out three and walked one.

Steubenville outhit Wheeling Park, 14-8. Big Red doubled up the Patriots, 4-2, in terms of extra-base hits.

Sena Smith went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBI to lead the way for the Big Red offense. Smith’s lone out came on a flyball to the fence in center for the first out of the bottom of the first.

Tuttle tallied four singles and RBI for the girls in black, Smarella doubled and Sadie Edwards delivered a pair of singles to help the Big Red cause. Finally, Addison Meyer, Paige Matteson, Zorne and Gena Smith all collected a base hit in the loss.

For the Patriots, Catcher Kyla Cunningham collected a single, a triple and an RBI, Sarah Seivertson singled home two runs and Bryn Earnest tallied an RBI single. Also, Belle Thomas belted a double, Alivia West contributed two base hits and Tamburin chipped in with one. 

Cunningham reached on an error with one out in the first, and Abby O’Donnell came as a courtesy runner for her team’s backstop. O’Donnell then stole second base, and she scored on a single by Earnest to give Wheeling Park an early 1-0 lead.

The Patriots took control of the game in the second as they scored five runs in the inning to build a 6-0 advantage. Big Red committed two more errors in the inning. Seivertson contributed a two-run single in the inning, and Cunningham collected an RBI single. The other two runs scored on errors.

Smarella doubled to lead off the second for Big Red, and she scored on a single by Tuttle to cut her team’s deficit to 6-1. Sena Smith doubled with two outs, however, a flyout to right field ended the threat. Big Red had a runner thrown out at the third in the inning. 

After a scoreless third, both teams scored in the fourth. 

Big Red’s fourth error led to Wheeling Park’s seventh run as the victors increased their advantage to 7-1. Sena Smith doubled home Kayleigha Chamberlain, who came in to run for Tuttle, to make it a 7-2 ballgame, however, a base-running mistake ended the inning. 

Smith’s third double – and her second RBI – came in the sixth to make the score, 7-3, but the home team was not able to get any closer.

“Our base-running was really good,” Durkin said. “Every time there was a ball in the dirt, we moved up. We hit the ball. We put the ball in play.

“Kudos to their hitter (Sena Smith). She is an outstanding player. She hits the ball on the nose. I talked to her after the game.”

Smith hit the ball hard all four times she came to plate. Unfortunately for Big Red, she did not get a fifth at-bat.

“We have a big weekend coming up,” DiMarzio said. “We are staring two big games right in the face. We play two really good teams. Wheeling Park is a good team. We play a doubleheader against two good teams, and if we play against them like we did today …we are 4-3.”

Wheeling Park is scheduled to play undefeated Weir at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Wheeling Park.

Weather permitting, Big Red is slated to take part in a tri Saturday at home with Conotton Valley and Morgantown. Big Red will play Conotton Valley at 10 a.m., the Rockets will face the Mohigans at noon and Big Red and Morgantown will meet at 2 p.m.

Wheeling Park 7, Big Red 3

Wheeling Park 150 100 0 – 7 8 1

Big Red       010 101 0 – 3 14 7

WHEELING PARK (6-3): Wear WP (3K, 2BB) and Cunningham. Thomas D; Cunningham S, T, RBI; Earnest S, RBI; West 2S; Tamburin S; Seivertson S, 2RBI.

BIG RED (4-1): Cadile LP (3K, 1BB) and Smarella. S. Smith 3D, 2RBI; Meyer S; Edwards 2S; Matteson S; S. Zorne S; Smarella D; Tuttle 4S, RBI; G. Smith S.