BACK IN THE CIRCLE — Weir High pitcher Eliza Utt winds up a pitch against Catholic Central on Monday evening. Utt struck out nine and has not allowed a run in her first four appearances this season. - Andrew Grimm

WEIRTON — John Leary said before the season started that pitching would be his team’s strength.

He had a good reason to believe that. Her name is Eliza Utt.

Through four games, the veteran coach’s hunch is looking pretty spot on.

The returning all-state pitcher has tossed 16 shutout innings, allowing just seven hits and striking out 28 batters against just two walks.

The latest of those performances was three scoreless innings with nine strikeouts Monday evening in a 15-0 victory over a youthful Catholic Central.

“It’s just really nice having Eliza,” Leary said. “It takes some pressure off the younger girls we have playing in new positions to have her out there. Not a lot of balls are getting put in play. Four games without a run and she’s been very consistent.”

Utt has already passed the 500 career strikeout mark and has not walked a batter in her last three games.

“The thing I’m most pleased about is she’s not walking anyone,” Leary said. “I always tell our pitchers I don’t care if they hit it off the school, please don’t be walking people. She’s been very good her whole career at not walking people, I don’t know that she’s ever walked two batters back-to-back anytime in a game.

“She’s throwing strikes and doing her job. She’s a good kid and she’s a good hitter for us, too. Just an all-around good player.”

Bella Weber, the other pitcher at Leary’s disposal, also tossed two scoreless innings this past weekend.

Thus far, the Red Riders are out-scoring their opponents 47-0.

Loganne Barton smacked her first homer of the season Monday and finished with four RBIs. Utt drove in two runs, including the walk-off hit that enacted the mercy rule, and Lila Boilegh doubled and drove in two more runs.

Boilegh, a freshman, has eight hits and nine RBIs in her first four varsity games. Weber also has had at least one hit every game so far.

“It’s good for us to get some confidence early,” Leary said. “I’ve got a young team. We’ve got some veterans back, but we have positions with new people playing. It’s very good for morale with a young team to get some wins early in the season.

“Our older girls are doing the jobs we need them to, driving in runs and hitting the ball.”

Business is about to pick up for the Red Riders, however, as they are set to battle county rival, defending state champion Oak Glen on Friday in a big early season test.

“We’ve got the rest of the week to get ready for Oak Glen, that’s going to be a lot different,” Leary said. “They’ve got a very good team. We’ve got a few days to get ready for that one.”

IMPROVING THROUGH CHALLENGES

Facing a Weir High team that is two OVAC classes higher and was two wins away from a state title last spring two games into the second year of a program rebuild, Central coach Butch Brown knew Monday was going to be a tough task for his young team.

Facing teams like the Red Riders, and pitchers like Utt, though, he thinks will only help his team grow and get better.

“We knew this one would be tough, they have a very good pitcher that throws a lot of strikes,” Brown said. “We just weren’t timing it up. It’s good for us to see a pitcher like that, the further down we go, we’re going to face more good pitchers and you want to see the speed and accuracy like she has so you can improve.

“We made some nice catches, we still made a few mistakes, but the girls are coming along. We’re going to keep working.”

Central’s Genna Free smacked a double off of Utt, and outfielders Grace Fink, Mia Doyle and Lynn Can made a couple of very nice catches, something Leary noticed.

“I’m glad they wanted to play,” he said. “They just started the program back up last year and that’s tough. They had a good, solid hit off of Eliza and they made some nice plays in the field.

“I commend coach Brown and his staff for the work they’re doing. It’s very hard to start something back up basically from scratch and they have their girls they have out there playing pretty solid.

“This one was a tough one for them facing Eliza … I’m sure that is hard for a young team to face one of the best pitchers in the Valley.”

The Crusaders (0-2) play another local foe coming off a good season as they travel to Madonna tonight.

Weir High 15, Catholic Central 0

CC 0-0-0 — 0 1 6

WH 6-8-1 — 15 9 0

CENTRAL (0-2): Lathem (LP, 2 2/3IP, 15R, 8ER, 9H, 3K, 7BB) and Fink. Free D.

WEIR (4-0): Utt (WP, 3IP, 0R, 1H, 9K, 0BB) and Barton. Boilegh D, 2RBI; Utt D, 2S, 2RBI; Weber S; Barton HR, 4RBI; Spencer S, RBI; Kirlangitis S; Trifinoff S.