HEADED TO THIRD — Weir High’s Rayna Hoover runs to third base during Tuesday’s game against Cambridge. - Aaron Petchal

WEIRTON — Seven is seen by many to be a lucky number, however, the Weir softball team has not needed luck to record its seven wins so far this season.

Weir recorded two runs in the bottom of the first inning against Cambridge, and the Red Riders pulled away from the Bobcats en route to a 8-1 victory in four-and-a-half innings Wednesday evening at the Roberta “Birdie” DeFrancis Softball Field.

“The good thing about this team is we have been pretty composed,” Weir (7-0) head coach John Leary said. “I am more happy about that than anything. Sometimes, you start slow, but we have been steady.

“We have six seniors on the team, so you expect there to be some maturity there. They have been through games. They have been up, and they have been down. They know how to deal with different situations. The word I am going to use so far this year is steady.

“One through nine in the lineup we are getting timely hits, we are driving in runs and we are having smart at-bats. They are understanding different situations. They are doing what needs to be done to help the team improve. They are doing a good job.

“They have been consistent. They are doing a good job of staying consistent. They are having good at-bats to help the team.”

The Red Riders collected a pair of runs in the first to take the early lead before plating five more in the second to increase their advantage to 7-0.

The Bobcats (1-3) scored their lone run in the third, however, the Red Riders push a pair of runs across in the fourth to put them three outs of ending the game via the mercy rule.

Bella Weber picked up the win inside the circle for Weir. She struck out eight and walked one.

“Bella pitched very well,” Leary said. “She is in a tough situation. This is Game 7, and she has pitched twice. She has pitched once a week. She may pitch twice if we want to give her some work.

“She throws strikes. She’s around the plate. That is not easy to do in her situation. I think she has done an exceptional job. Eliza needs a mental break sometimes. It is hard to go out on the mound and throw strikes.”

Laney Harper took the loss for the visitors. She struck out two and walked one.

The victors recorded 12 hits on the day – one of which was a triple.

Individually, Loganne Barton contributed two singles and three RBI, Eliza Utt tallied a triple and two RBI and Rayna Hoover and Elle Maley each tallied a single and an RBI. Also, Kylie Dean and Weber each delivered two singles, and Gigi Paladina and Lili Ascencio each produced a single.

Bailey Kenworthy tallied two singles for Cambridge, while Harper had one.

“It’s a big game, absolutely,” Leary said. “It is not a sectional game anymore, but it is a big game for OVAC 4A standings for the cutoff. It will help determine the top seed. It is a huge game. It is Oak Glen. They are our county rivals. We want to come out and play well.”

Weir 9, Cambridge 1

Cambridge 001 00 – 1 3 4

Weir 250 2X- 9 12 2

CAMBRIDGE (1-3): Harper LP (2K, 1BB) and Warden. Kenworthy 2S; Harper.

WEIR (7-0): Weber WP (8K, 1BB) and Dean. Utt T, 2RBI; Hoover S, RBI; Dean 2S; Lash S; Barton 2S, 3RBI; Maley S, RBI; Weber 2S; Paladina S; Ascencio S.