Big Red, Fabbro blank Weir to extend streak
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WEIRTON -- Matt Fabbro fired five solid innings of shutout baseball, scattering four singles as Big Red's starter picked up his second win in as many days.
While lightning and ultimately the weather forced an early completion of Wednesday's cross-river rivalry showdown at Weir, it did nothing to diminish a strong outing from Fabbro.
He struck out three with no walks and even kept the few Weir runners who managed to reach first off balance with a brilliant pick-off move.
Fabbro and company did have to contend with a few errors, but none that wound up costing the visitors any runs.
The closest Weir came to scoring occurred during the home half of the fourth.
Aleks Zanieski and Jayden McAllister led off the inning with back-to-back singles, the latter of which also resulted in an error as Zanieski made it round to third on McAllister's hit.
Teddy Glyptis came to the plate with runners at the corners and nobody out, a prime scoring opportunity.
McAllister just beat the throw back to first on a pick-off attempt, but the second time Fabbro optioned to first, McAllister went for second. A brief run down had Zanieski motoring home for a potential run, but Cal Beadling alertly fired to Kail Simmons at home, who applied the tag on Zanieski to preserve the shutout.
Big Red had its own troubles getting a run on Weir starter Liam Williamson, despite their best efforts.
Twice did the visitors load the bases in the first two innings, only to be turned away with nothing as Williamson found ways to get out of jams.
His luck, however, ran out in the fourth.
With one out, Brady Saccoccia reached on an error and advanced to second when Williamson beaned Landon Crosier on a 3-1 pitch.
Beadling then reached first on a fielder's choice as Saccoccia became the second out on a force at third.
Bubby Reese then singled in Crosier for a 1-0 lead.
The score held till the top of the fifth, when Big Red pushed an insurance run across home.
Marty Lovato led off getting hit by a pitch and moved to second an a ground-out to the right side.
Hayden Hicks then ripped a double up the middle on a 2-0 pitch that scored Lovato from second.
Cross singled twice for Weir, which committed three fielding errors to Big Red's five. It's the second time Steubenville held off the Red Riders this season, as head coach Fred Heatherington's club took an early 3-0 lead and made it stick, 4-2, back on April 1 at the Crimson Complex turf.
Steubenville 2, Weir 0
Steubenville 000 11 — 2 6 5
Weir 000 00 — 0 4 3
S — Fabbro wp (3SO, 0W) and Simmons. Reese S, rbi;l Hicks D, rbi.
W — Williamson lp (0SO, 1W) and McAllister. Cross 2S.