WHEELING — Playing in heavy winds with temperatures in the mid-30s, Martins Ferry senior standout Danielle Lude did everything in her power to warm things up at the Wheeling Park Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon.

Lude collected a walk, single, two doubles and a home run, chasing home six runs in the process, while Abbey Snedeker scatted six hits in the circle as the Purple Riders rode a big second inning to a huge 10-1 season-opening victory over the Patriots at Wheeling Park High School.

“I am very happy, coming out and playing like that in our first game,” head coach Jerry Magistro admitted. “We are always concerned opening up with a West Virginia school that has been playing for 10 days already, but we were able to hold a very good hitting team down and everyone played well.”

Both teams scored runs in the first inning with Lude ripped a run-scoring double down the third base line in the top of the frame before Bryn Ernest’s infield single plated a tally in the bottom of the inning.

But while the Park (2-3) couldn’t push across another run the rest of the day, Martins Ferry took advantage of everything in front of them in the top of the second. In all, the Purple Riders used two hits, four walks, a hit batsman and an error to score five runs in the inning and take a 6-1 advantage.

Gracie Lucas reached on the only error of the game to get things started before No. 8 hitter Kyndahl Richardson walked to put runners on first and second. The top of the order made its way to the plate with two outs and were able to break things open.

Maddie Lucas singled to load the bases before fellow freshman Giana Chirpas picked up the first of her two RBI with a walk to put the visitors ahead for good.

Lude then crushed a three-run double to deep left-center field that made it a 5-1 score. Ferry managed to load the bases again with Gracie Lucas’ second at-bat of the inning producing a run-scoring walk to push it to 6-1.

Coach Pat Durkin’s red, white and blue, who stranded eight runners on the day including five in scoring position, got runners to second in the second and fourth innings, but never really threatened the rest of the way.

The hosts did have a runner thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang play in the second.

The Purple Riders added three runs in the seventh on a two-run Lude home run over the fence in left-center and Laci Zinn’s RBI double to deep right field.

Snedeker went the distance, fanning two and walking three, while Patriot pitchers struggled hitting the strike zone consistently with a combined 11 strikeouts and 10 walks. Abbie Harmon took the loss with two strikeouts and five walks while Delaney Randolph fanned nine and issued five free passes.

“Danielle Lude had a career day for us (Saturday), but that is the kind of thing we expect from her,” Magistro added. “And Abbey Snedeker did a heck of a job in the circle keeping their hitters off guard. She really hit her spots.

“To hold them to one run is great. And I also can’t say enough about our effort in the field. This was just an overall very well played first game.”

While Durkin wasn’t disappointed with his team’s effort, he also realizes his young team can still improve.

“That error in the second inning was big,” Durkin said. “It allowed them to eventually score five runs. But with the wind and the cold I thought we played pretty well overall.

“And give credit to Martins Ferry’s pitcher, she mixed her speeds and gave us all kinds of trouble at the plate.

“We are a young team, and we have to be a little more patient at the plate. Walks also hurt us all day long, but it is hard to blame our pitchers for that. I felt like they were hitting their spots.

“I also felt that the runner thrown out at the plate was very costly to what we were trying to do.”