Harrison Central pitcher Emma Skinner throws a pitch during the Huskies' season opener vs. St. Clairsville.

CADIZ–Bailey Smith ignited a five-run scoring barrage with a monster one-out triple Monday in Harrison Central’s season-opening win against St. Clairsville (0-3).

Leading 1-0, Smith crushed a Sophia Turner offering deep into the gap in left-center and motored her way around for a stand-up triple.

That made the score 2-0 and before the Red Devils recorded the final out, three more runs crossed the plate as the Huskies went on for the mercy-rule shortened 11-0 victory in Cadiz.

“I thought they settled in and hit the ball well,” Harrison Central head coach Darrin Young admitted. “I told them a couple of days ago that hitting is contagious and Bailey started it (Monday) and everybody starting hitting the ball.

“This group, if they play within themselves, is fun to watch.”

The Huskies laced gap shots and banged out hard-hit grounders. They combined that with opportunistic, heads-up base running that took advantage of seven St. Clairsville errors.

One of the strongest all-around performances came from freshman Kelsey Powers.

Batting leadoff and drawing the start at third base for the injured Mikayla Pelegreen, Powers finished with a single and triple and two RBI, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk. Powers actually scored on her triple after her moonshot to deep left resulted in an error on the relay home.

In the field, Powers made a couple of solid putouts.

“She had three or four putouts and, for a first time appearance for a freshmen, she didn’t do too bad at all did she,” Young said.

The offensive output only made the job of pitcher Emma Skinner that much easier.

Skinner struck out six batters without a walk, scattering three harmless base hits in five innings of work. She allowed only singles to Noel Habig, Divine Roby and Lainey Benedict

The senior wasn’t overpowering, but her combined pinpoint location with solid movement on her pitches from the left side kept St. C. batters from getting untracked.

“She’s not going to strike out 10-12 eaach time out, but she puts some spin on the ball and will throw a lot of groundball outs,” Young admitted.

Olivia Tonkovich and Cam Crothers each singled twice for the Huskies, who head to St. Clairsville on Wednesday for a return matchup with St. Clairsville.

The Red Devils dropped their first two contents of the season, Saturday, in a doubleheader against Marietta.

Turner struck out three and walked the same for St. C.