Staff photo / Preston Byers Lowellville’s Poala Andino runs to third base on an inside-the-park home run during Wednesday’s win vs. Sebring in Lowellville.

LOWELLVILLE — In the first leg of a back-to-back against each other, Lowellville bested visiting Sebring 7-1 on Wednesday, thanks in large part to a high-scoring second inning.

The Rockets overcame an early deficit in their season opener by bringing six runners across home plate in the first two innings to pull away from the injury-affected Trojans.

“Happy. We’re young. I’m pretty happy with it so far,” Lowellville coach Mike Alfano said. “They obviously didn’t have their first pitcher because she was injured. It’s a shame to hear that. But we hit the ball all right. We limited the errors.”

Sebring took the first lead when Raegan Wynn scored on a passed ball in the top of the first inning. From there, however, the Rockets controlled the action.

In the bottom of the first, Aubrey Kestner doubled down the left-field line before stealing third and racing home on a groundout to tie the game at 1. After a one-two-three inning from pitcher McKenna Lewis, the Rockets put plenty of room between themselves and the Trojans in the second.

Despite her coach saying after the fact that he had signaled for a bunt, Poala Andino led off the half-inning with an inside-the-park home run, when a hard-hit ball proved too difficult for the center fielder to handle, allowing Andino to round the bases and give her team the lead.

Andino was the first of seven straight Lowellville batters to reach base safely. With the bases loaded, Josie Estevez singled to left field, bringing home both Lewis and Rylie Goodin. Shortly thereafter, Eliza Primous drew a bases-loaded walk to score Laila Coira. Kestner then grounded out, and Estevez scored as a result, putting Lowellville up 6-1.

The inning came to a premature ending with the next at-bat, as after Giuliana Alfano popped out, Olivia Clement was doubled-up at third base.

“The biggest error we had on the game was me,” Mike Alfano said of the incident. “I lost track of the outs.”

Sebring failed to cash in on its best scoring chance since the first inning in the top of the third, during which the Trojans loaded the bases with a single, a hit-by-pitch and an overthrown ball to first. However, a groundout to the first baseman brought an end to a potential rally and left the three runners stranded.

Goodin added to Lowellville’s lead in the bottom of the third with a single to center field, which drove in Andino, who tripled during the previous at-bat.

The Rockets maintained their six-run lead throughout the rest of the game, as Lewis settled in the circle. She allowed just three hits, one run and recorded seven strikeouts.

“McKenna was tough all day,” Mike Alfano said. “She gave me everything I asked for when I was calling the pitches. There were only a couple fliers in the group there. She’s solid. She’s always been like that. She’s our workhorse.”

Sebring, still reeling from losing starting pitcher Ava Coen to ACL and meniscus injuries during the second inning of Tuesday’s season opener vs. East, turned to freshman Kenna Coen. Kenna Coen finished the game with nine hits and seven runs allowed, although most of the damage was contained to the second inning.

“I was very pleased, with her being a freshman. From a freshman who had never played softball before, she has potential to be very good in the years to come,” Sebring head coach Jason Whaley said.

With the loss, Sebring slipped to 0-2 on the season after previously falling to East 15-11. Whaley said that despite the defeat, his team improved between the first and second game.

Lowellville (1-0) will repay the favor today by making the trip to Sebring to face the Trojans for a second straight day.