WEIRTON – The Weir baseball team was looking to make its return to the Weir High Baseball Field a triumphant one.

After playing four games Saturday and Sunday down at Myrtle Beach, Weir returned home to take on Union Local, however, the Jets erupted for an offensive explosion scoring a dozen runs on 13 hits as they took down the Red Riders, 12-7, in a high-scoring affair Thursday evening to spoil Weir’s return home.

After starting the season off strong at 4-1, the Red Riders have now dropped four-straight games to fall below .500 at 4-5. Meanwhile, Union Local is now 2-1 after splitting its first two games with county rival Barnesville.

“Our starter got the win,” Union Local head coach Jim Hess said. “He threw well. He threw strikes. He pounded the zone. He kept them off-balance. He got into a little trouble. He had a couple of balks, and he got flustered. We brought the sophomore in, and he threw well. Weir is a very good baseball team. I was impressed with him. He kept Weir off-balance.

“We barreled the ball up. We had 11 or 12 hits. We got hits up-and-down the lineup. We are optimistic about that. We beat a very good team.”

Blake Butkus started on the mound for Union Local, and he was credited with the win. Butkus did not record a strikeout while walking two in his 2 2/3 innings of work on the mound. He was replaced with two outs in the bottom of the second inning by Trent White, who pitched the rest of the way. White also did not record a strikeout while walking three in his 4 1/3 innings of relief work.

Weir also used two pitchers.

Liam Williamson started, and he was saddled with the loss. Williamson struck out four and walked three in his three innings of work on the mound. He was replaced by Nick DiMatteis, who struck out three and walked three in his four innings of work.

The Jets struck first in the top of the first. Karson Grigaitis started the inning off with a single, and the DH advanced to second when Colby Carpenter drew a walk. After a strikeout, Grigatis scored on a single by Brody Gregor, and Carpenter followed him home thanks to an error enabling Union Local to take a 2-0 lead.

The Red Riders answered right back with a pair of runs in the home half of the inning.

With two outs, Aleks Zanieski singled to start the rally, and Cayden Braswell was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base before both runners advanced thanks to a balk. Then, DiMatteis doubled to center scoring both runners to knot the score at 2-all. Nico Glass singled to advance DiMatteis to third, however, Glass was caught stealing to end the threat and the inning.

The visitors regained the advantage in the third. Eli Rogers, the No. 9 batter, was issued a walk, and the leftfielder stole second and third before scoring on a fielder’s choice by Carpenter to put his team back in front, 3-2. The next two batters where hit by pitches, and Evan Poziviac plated Carpenter with a sacrifice fly to left to increase Union Local’s lead to 4-2. Then, Treat White walked before Dustin Stitt doubled to centerfield scoring a pair to extend the Jets’ advantage out to 6-2. A strikeout ended the threat and the inning.

The Red-and-Black attempted to come back in the bottom half of the inning as Mathew Geer, Braswell and DiMatteis all drew walks to load the bases with two outs. Then, Geer and Braswell scored on back-to-back balks, and Glass singled home DiMatteis on a ball hit to left to cut the home team’s deficit down to 6-5. Glass was stranded at first thanks to an inning-ending lineout.

“It was a battle,” Hess said. “I was impressed with our guys. They kept the pressure on Weir. Anytime they answered, we answered right back. Weir is a very good team. We had a big inning there at the end. We were able to score more runs. Our pitcher came in and shut them down and we got the win.”

The Jets responded right back with four in the fourth. Rogers started the inning off with a base hit, and he stole second base to put himself in scoring position before scoring on another single by Grigaitis to push Union Local’s lead up to 7-5. Carpenter contributed a base hit of his own to put two runners on base with Grigaitis in scoring position. Kam Gordon reached on a bunt single to load the bases, and Gregor singled home Grigaitis to make the score, 8-5. Then, Carpenter scored on a single by Poziviac to put the boys from Belmont County up, 9-5. The Red-and-White had runners on the corners, but a double play ended the threat and the inning, however, plenty of damage had been done.

Weir tried to stage a rally in its half of the inning as the locals got two runners on base thanks to two walks, however, a double play ended that scoring chance and the inning keeping the Red Riders’ deficit at four runs.

The Jets looked to do even more damage in the fifth as Stitt and Rogers drew walks giving them two runners on base with one out, however, Weir was able to get out of the inning unscathed thanks to a strikeout and a fielder’s choice.

Weir still trailed by four runs, however, the Red Riders refused to throw in the towel. Zanieski led off the inning with a single to center and Braswell walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. DiMatteis then reached on a single scoring Zanieski to cut his team’s deficit down to 9-6. Then with one out, Jonathan Horstman singled home Braswell to make it a 9-7 ballgame, and an error allowed DiMatteis to advance to third on the play with Horstman moving up to second. Weir was in prime position to score more runs, however, a double play ended the threat and the inning as DiMatteis was called out trying to score on a groundout to first.

The Jets were retired in order in the sixth. The Red Riders got a runner on their half of the inning, but three-straight outs ended the inning with Liam Williamson stranded on second base.

The Jets were able to put some distance between themselves and the boys from Hancock County in the seventh as the tacked on a trio runs of runs to increase their advantage to 12-7. After a strikeout to start the inning, Gunnar Bethel doubled and advanced to third one batter later when Levi Lucas reached on an error. Bethel scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch to make it, 10-7. Rogers singled to center to give the winners another baserunner, however, Lucas was thrown out at third trying to move up on the play. Rogers then recorded his fourth stolen base of the game as he moved up to second before Grigaitis walked. Then, Carpenter chipped in with an RBI single scoring Rogers to make the score 11-7 before Gordon singled to center to plate Grigaitis with the final run as a pop-up ended the threat and the inning.

“Our guys worked hard in the offseason,” Hess said. “I think they are capable of doing that. We start a lot of young guys. We only have two or three guys with a lot of varsity experience. We have guys who mostly played on JV last year. They have stepped up, and they are working hard.

“We played well. We were able to get some bunts down. Our baserunning was good. We are capable of doing that. We want to keep it going. We have some tough games coming up with Cambridge, St. Clairsville and Martins Ferry in the next week-and-a-half. We are going to have to be on Ps and Qs.”

Trailing by five runs, the Red Riders faced an uphill climb in the bottom of the inning, however, Weir was unable to mount a charge as the team was retired in order to end the game.

Union Local is slated to play Cambridge at 5 p.m. today on the road.

“We do play a tough schedule,” Hess said. “We don’t shy away from anyone. Our schedule is pretty brutal, and I think we will get better because of it. Tournament time is aways away, but baseball season goes by so fast, it won’t be too long from now. Our schedule will prepare us to play better teams.

“It was a good team win.”

Weir is scheduled to play Doddridge County at noon Saturday at home.

Union Local 12, Weir 7

Union Local 204 300 3 – 12 13 2

Weir 203 010 0 – 7 7 2

UNION LOCAL (2-1): WP Butkus (2 2/3 IP, 0K, 3BB), White (4 1/3 IP, 1K, 3BB) and Gregor. Grigaitis 2S, RBI; Carpenter 2S, 2RBI; Gordon 2S, RBI; Gregor 2S, 2RBI; Poziviac S, 2RBI; Stitt D, 2RBI; Bethel D; Rogers 2S.

WEIR (4-5): Williamson LP (3IP, 4K, 3BB), DiMatteis (4IP, 3K, 3BB) and Geer. Zanieski 2S; DiMatteis S, D, 3RBI; Glass 2S, RBI; Hortsman S, RBI.