Photo courtesy of the WVSSAC TRACKING IT DOWN — Weir High's Gracie Trifonoff tracks down a ground ball during the state tournament on Thursday.

Taking on Midland Trail in a battle of teams coming off tough losses a day earlier at the Class AA state tournament, the Red Riders fell behind early in the opening game of Day 2 and ultimately saw their season come to a close with a 7-1 defeat.

The fourth-seeded Red Riders finish the season 21-12.

“Very disappointing performance today,” Weir High head coach John Leary said. “Very disappointing performance in tournament overall. We overachieved overall this season but really underachieved in postseason and OVAC playoffs.

“I wish we would have represented ourselves better at end after having such a good year overall.”

Photo courtesy of the WVSSAC DELIVERY — Weir pitcher Eliza Utt fires a pitch on Thursday.

Midland Trail (19-14), the No. 8 seed, scored three runs in the first and built a 7-0 lead before the Red Riders broke up the shutout in the bottom of the seventh.

The Patriots struck first in the top of the first when a hit batter and an error put two on and Raelyn Morris came up with two outs and made it 3-0 with a little league homer, officially getting credited with a two-run triple and scoring on an error.

Eliza Utt looked to have started a response for the Red Riders in the bottom half, tripling with one out, but when the throw to third was offline she started toward home to score but the fielder recovered and was able to tag her out trying to get back on the base.

In the top of the second, Midland Trail added two more runs as Nevaeh Hall hit a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.

After the Red Riders stranded a runner in the bottom of the second, Patriots Stephanie Harrell, the Midland pitcher, led off with a triple to help her own cause and Morris added another RBI with a run-scoring single to make it 6-0.

Photo courtesy of the WVSSAC CATCH — Weir third baseman Illiona Kirlangitis hauls in a fly ball during Thursday's game.

After a couple of 1-2-3 innings, Harrell smacked an RBI double in the fifth to cap Midland’s scoring.

She cruised until the seventh when the Red Rider finally manage to get something going off the sophomore. Bella Weber led things off with a single, got third with one out on two wild pitches, then scored when Zoe Spencer blooped a ball into the outfield that dropped between Midland players.

Illiona Kirlangitis and Gracie Trifonoff then drew walks to load the bases with one out, but Harrell retired the next two batters to keep things from getting interesting and end the Red Riders’ run in Charleston.

Harrell finished with 10 strikeouts and the two seventh inning walks were her only free passes.

Utt, Weir High’s ace, finished with five strikeouts and one walk, but hit three batters. Just three of the runs charged to her were earned.

Utt, who is signed to play at the college level for Salem University, was one of three seniors in the line up whose high school careers came to an end along with Brynn Artman and Kirlangitis.

“They were very good leaders and a positive influence on rest of team,” Leary said of the trio.

Despite the tough ending, it was a second-straight trip to the state tournament and an extension of the streak of 20-win seasons for the Red Riders.

“I can’t acknowledge enough how much I appreciate all the hard work my staff does,” Leary said. “Joe (Aperfine), Jenna (Wilson) and Marissa (Galliano) are the life blood of this program.”

WVSSAC State Tournament

Class AA elimination game

at Little Creek Park Rock Field A

No. 8 Midland Trail 7, No. 4 Weir High 1

MT 3-2-1 0-1-0 0 – 7 8 0

WH 0-0-0 0-0-0 0 – 1 5 3

MIDLAND TRAIL (19-14): Harrell (WP, CG, 1R, 1ER, 5H, 10K, 2BB) and _. Morris T, S, 3RBIs; Harrell T, D; Hall S, 2RBIs; Parsons S; Mooney S; Stanley S.

WEIR HIGH (21-12): Utt (LP, CG, 7R, 3ER, 8H, 5K, 1BB, 3HBP) and Barton. Spencer 2S, RBI; Utt T; Weber Sl Artman S.