Bellaire shortstop Mason Ramsay throws to first after fielding a ground ball during the inaugural game on John Blacker Field.

NEFFS — Home sweet home. Finally!

After three-and-a-half years of having numerous home games rained out or re-located due to unplayable field conditions, the seniors on this year’s Bellaire High School baseball team now have a true home field.

The Big Reds opened John Blacker Field under ideal conditions Sunday afternoon with a 6-4 victory over visiting Steubenville Catholic before a crowd estimated at nearly 250.

Three of those seniors –Thor Duffy, Gabe Rejonis and Mason Ramsay — played huge roles in the win, which was only the fourth in 13 contests for BHS, and forever etched their names in the school history.

Duffy, the winning pitcher, struck out the first two Crusaders before allowing a harmless two-out double. He then caught the next batter looking at strike three. He would survive a rocky second inning where he walked four batters to force in the first run, striking out a batter and inducing an infield grounder.

He worked around a two-out walk and ensuing balk in the third before Steubenville Catholic struck for three runs with two outs in the fourth. A key double play got him out of the fifth unscathed. He finished with eight strikeouts, seven walks and a hit batter. He gave up four of the Crusaders five hits.

“It felt good. I really wanted to all week, but I didn’t know whether I was going to start or not,” Duffy said. “I really wanted to start this game, so I went out there and did my best.”

Rejonis scored the first run of the contest on Ramsay’s first-inning double. He also became the first player to homer at the new ballpark when he sent a drive well over the fence in left in the second. It came two pitches after Steubenville Catholic dropped a flyball with two outs.

“It feels amazing. He put it right down the middle in my wheelhouse and I took my best cut at it,” Rejonis explained of the 0-1 pitch. “As soon as I hit it, it felt really good.

“It really feels good to get a win on this home field,” he added. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had one … we’ve never had one actually. To get one on this field is amazing.”

Ramsay will go down as recording the first run batted in with his double deep down the line in left. He also made a nifty play at short to end the second with the bases full of Crusaders, and closed the door with two innings of shutout relief. He struck out two, walked one and yielded a hit.

“It feels good to finally have our home field … one that we can call home,” he said. “It makes it even better to get a win in the first game on it.”