STEUBENVILLE — The Big Red softball team picked up a big win against a good opponent to start the season.

Big Red raced out to a 5-0 lead against John Glenn, and the Red-and-Black did not look back en route to a 7-1 victory against the Little Muskies on an overcast Saturday afternoon up at the Crimson Complex.

“We beat a good team, 7-1,” Big Red (1-0) head coach Gus DiMarzio said. “They are young. They have a good coach. They have a good staff.

“They had a good pitcher. Their first pitcher – Snyder – did a heck of a job. They threw a couple of balls away. That allowed us to score a couple of runs. That gave us more life. That is a big deal.”

They game was scoreless heading into the bottom of the second. Big Red broke through for a run in the home half of the inning before tacking on four more runs in the third to build a 5-0 advantage.

The visitors scored a run in the fourth to make the score, 5-1, but the girls from Jefferson County collected a run in the bottom of the inning and another in the sixth to make it a 7-1 ballgame.

Freshmen Isabella Cadile picked up the win inside the circle for Big Red.

“She did well,” DiMarzio said. “She had a couple of situations in the middle innings – in the fifth and the sixth – where she was muscling he ball instead of trusting her mechanics. She’s young. She’ll learn from this. By the end of the year, she should be pretty good.”

John Glenn used two pitchers. Kendall Snider the game, and she took the loss. Snider struck out four and walked two in her three innings of work. Snider was replaced in the circle by Haylee Young, who struck out two and walked one in her three innings of relief work.

Big Red tallied seven hits at the play in the win.

“On a cold day like this – we did great,” DiMarzio said asked how his team hit the ball on the day. “We had seven hits on a cold day like this. I hope we hit the ball a lot better. We had some at-bats where we have some good hitters who are pressing a little bit. They just need to relax, get deeper into the count and wait to get a better pitch to hit, but it will come. It’s Day 1. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Offensively, Sagan Smarrella tallied two singles and two RBI, Sophia Zorne produced two singles and an RBI and Addison Meyer delivered a single and an RBI. Also, Sena Smith contributed a triple and Kaliyah Chamberlain singled.

The Little Muskies tallied four hits in the loss.

Individually, Snider delivered a double and an RBI, Delaney Bell, Ava Miller and Kinley Porter all collected a single.

“Anytime you beat a team with the tradition and pedigree that they have, its a big win,” DiMarzio said. “We had had some dogfights with them. In 23, we played a doubleheader against them. We had Jules. She struck out 20, and we lost the game. They just no how to win.

“They have had some really good coaches. They had a good program. I am happy with the win.”

John Glenn is scheduled to play Indian Valley at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the road.

Big Red is slated to play Oak Glen at 5 p.m. Thursday on the road.

“Today was just the first game, but we want to keep on winning,” DiMarzio said.

Big Red 7, John Glenn 1

John Glenn 000 100 0 – 1 4 3

Big Red 014 101 X – 7 7 1

JOHN GLENN (0-1): Snider LP (3IP, 4K, 2BB), Young (3IP, 2K, 1BB) and Babcock. Bell S; Snider D, RBI; Miller S; Porter S.

BIG RED (1-0): Cadile WP (7K, 3BB) and Smarrella. Smith T, Addison Meyer S, RBI; S. Zorne 2S, RBI; Smarrella 2S, 2RBI; R. Zorne S, RBI; Chamberlain S.