BACK IN THE CIRCLE — Big Red pitcher Isabella Cadille returned to the circle on Saturday and earned a pair of victories for Steubenville during a doubleheader against Brooke and Poland. Big Red won both games to improve to 4-0. - Andrew Grimm

The end result of both was the same, though — Big Red celebrating a victory. 

In the first game against a tough Poland squad, Gus DiMarzio’s club ran into the toughest bit of adversity it has seen yet in the young season. Big Red trailed 8-1 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, leading to the veteran coach to issue a challenge to his group. 

It responded in a big way, plating four runs each in the next two innings, then, after going to the bottom of the seventh down 10-9, plated a pair of runs to walk-it-off and complete the massive comeback. 

Later in the afternoon, the victory celebration came with a lot less suspense as Steubenville, now 4-0, jumped on youthful Brooke early and pulled away for a 16-0 victory to cap the day. 

Big Red’s Sena Smith slldes safely into second base while Brooke shortstop Emma Bober awaits the throw. - Andrew Grimm

“That first game, all I can say is wow,” DiMarzio said. “I walked into the huddle and told them now we find out what you’re made of as a team. They kept fighting and kept scrapping and kept representing themselves and their team well.

“I’m proud of their fight and their effort and the way they stuck together.”

DiMarzio highlighted the top-to-bottom ability of his team after a win over Oak Glen, also a comeback, earlier in the week, and it was on full display in the rally against Poland as the winning-hit came from the No. 9 spot in the order, a two-run walk-off double from Gena Smith. She also tripled in the game. 

“That’s what you want from your team,” he said. “If it’s truly a team, then one-through-nine you’ve got to be tough and they were.

“That was a big deal for Gena, everyone expects the heroics from her sister (Sena), but she was in a big position and she made good contact and took advantage of the moment. I’m happy for her. She got her chance to shine and she did. She’s a good kid and she works hard.”

Brooke pitcher Karson Drumm delivers a pitch. - Andrew Grimm

All told, seven different girls had a hit in the first game and 10 different players had at least one hit in the second game. 

Also a big boost to Steubenville on Saturday was the return of freshman pitcher Isabella Cadille after she left the Oak Glen game with an injury. She came into the first game and pitched a scoreless seventh to set up the rally and then went the distance for the shutout in the second game, earning the victory in both games. In the complete game effort against the Bruins, she struck out eight batters and did not issue a walk, allowing just one hit. 

“She came back, came in the game and did well,” DiMarzio said. “She has a bit of a hip pointer (from getting hit by a pitch at Oak Glen) and fought through it and came in to the first game, did a good job, and pitched a great second game. I’m proud of her.

“We have a great trainer, Sam Pittera, and he worked with her. She came back and threw the next day in practice and ran a little bit and felt good.

“She showed toughness and fought through it for her team. It’s all about Big Red, it’s about the name on the front of the jersey.”

Against Poland, Sophia Zorne had a double and two RBIs, Paige Matteson had a triple, single and an RBI, Sena Smith had two base hits and Addison Meyer had two singles and two RBIs. 

Against Brooke, Sena Smith was 3 for 4 giving her a combined five hits on the day, while Meyer again had two hits and two RBIs, Sadie Edwards had a triple, single and an RBI, Matteson had two hits and three RBIs and Talea Guntrum drove in two runs. 

Three errors and some other mistakes that were overshadowed by the big offensive output did leave some things DiMarzio wants to see his club continue to work on, however. 

“They weren’t glaring to a lot of people, but we made a lot of mistakes in the second game,” DiMarzio said. “You can’t turn it off and on, you have to stay focused for the whole game. There are things to learn win or lose. You don’t play to lose, you want to win every game, but it’s harder sometimes to learn from the mistakes when you win.”

They’ll look to do so before they take on Wheeling Park on Wednesday. 

For the Bruins, who also fell to Poland 12-1 earlier in the day, Eden McKinney had a double in the loss to Big Red. She also had the Bruins’ lone RBI in the early game.