photo by: Benjamin Powell/The Dominion Post

Weir’s Rayna Hoover throws a pitch during the Red Riders’ state tournament game against Frankfort.

SOUTH CHARLESTON – After winning an extra innings thriller early in the day, a Weir High rally in the night cap of the opening day of the Class AAA state tournament came up short, leaving the Red Riders with a split.

Weir became the first team to beat Frankfort this season in the morning game to open the day at Little Creek Park, outlasting the previously unbeaten Falcons 3-1 in extra innings to advance to the winners’ bracket final Friday night against Winfield.

The Red Riders fell behind the Generals by four, rallied to cut the lead in half with a couple of late runs, but came up short, 4-2.

The Red Riders remain alive in the double elimination tournament, but now will have their backs to the wall as they were set to rematch Frankfort in an elimination game Saturday morning.

The winner of that game will advance to take on Winfield in the championship round Saturday afternoon. Winfield’s two wins on Friday put them in drivers’ seat, needing one victory to claim the title. Weir or Frankfort would need to beat the Generals twice Saturday afternoon to win the title.

Weir High 3, Frankfort 1 (8 innings)

The Red Riders and Falcons started things off bright and early – though not for long as a more than one-hour rain delay halted the action in the early going with the game scoreless.

When things resumed, it was the unbeaten Falcons that struck first in the third inning on a Tayler Likens RBI single. They had left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first before breaking through in the second, but from there Weir ace Eliza Utt did not yield another run.

It did not take the Red Riders long to respond, as in the top of the third inning Utt helped her own cause with a one-out double and, after getting to third on a wild pitch, scored on an RBI groundout from Rayna Hoover to even the score at 1-1.

The Falcons’ A Pritts tripled with one out in the bottom half, but Utt got a pop out and a groundout to end the threat unscathed.

The Red Riders put two on in the fifth inning, but likewise could not get a run across and had a double play end another scoring threat in the sixth.

The Red Riders again left two on in the top of the seventh, then in the bottom half the Falcons had a golden opportunity loading the bases with two outs with a chance to walk it off.

Claire Westfall hit a hard-line drive that looked like it might end the game, but Weir High center fielder Bryn Artman made a phenomenal game-saving catch on the run to force an extra inning.

In the top of the eighth, Hoover reached on an error and got to second on a wild pitch, then scored when Kylie Dean singled up the middle for a 2-1 lead. Bella Weber, who had made a couple of great plays at first base earlier in the game, then added some insurance with an RBI single to make it 3-1.

The Falcons again had a big chance to extend or win the game in the bottom of the extra frame, loading the bases with one out, but a fielder’s choice and a popout allowed Weir to escape with the victory.

Utt went all eight innings for the win in the circle, striking out three and walking four and getting out of the big jams late to preserve the win.

Winfield 4, Weir High 2

In the nightcap, battling in the final of the winners’ bracket, Winfield broke through after a scoreless first couple of innings and did not trail.

After stranding three runners in the first two innings, the Generals got on the board first with an RBI single from Emeri Nelson in the bottom of the third, then another run later crossed on a two-out error by the Red Riders, making it a 2-0 game.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ava Robinson singled in another run, then added on again an inning later when Mattie Carroll hit a one-out double and scored on Kenlie Zigmond’s RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

The Red Riders, who had been held out of the hit column by Carroll through the first five innings, were not going to go away easily as Utt broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the sixth and then Barton put Weir on the board with a two-out RBI single, making it 4-1 going to the seventh.

Gigi Paladina hit a two-out RBI single in the seventh to make it a two-run game and bring the tying run to the plate, but the Generals were able to hang on.

Utt worked five of six innings in the second game, striking out three and walking just one in allowing two earned runs.

Also on Friday

Winfield reached the winners’ bracket final with a 7-5 win over Hoover earlier in the afternoon on Friday, then Frankfort stayed alive and eliminated the Huskies with a 4-2 victory in an elimination game to set up the rematch with Weir Saturday morning.