Photo by Kim North Wheeling Central’s Olivia Kiaski works to the plate Friday against Tyler Consolidated in a W.Va. Class AA Region I, Section I Tournament elimination game on Ben’s Field at the I-470 J.B. Chambers Complex in Elm Grove. She was the winning pitcher as the Maroon Knights rolled, 14-4, in five innings.

ELM GROVE — If it’s been said once, it’s been said one thousand times. Hitting is contagious.

After recording just eight hits in its last two contests, Wheeling Central (19-8) slugged out that many in the bottom of the fourth Friday against Tyler Consolidated in a W.Va. Class AA Region I, Section I elimination game.

The outburst propelled the Maroon Knights to a 14-4 verdict in five innings over the Silver Knights on Ben’s Field at the I-470 J.B. Chambers Complex. It was the second time this week the two played a five-inning affair, with Wheeling Central prevailing 10-0 on Wednesday.

Tyler Consolidated finished the season 10-18.

“It’s just a confidence thing with them,” Wheeling Central head coach Buck Davidson said. “Everybody in this sport knows hitting is contagious. It only takes one girl to get a good bat on the ball. Granted, we didn’t face the type of pitcher that we faced on Thursday, but we’re going to go up there and play a good ballgame.”

With the victory, the No. 2 seeded Maroon Knights trek back to northern Hancock County to face top-seeded Oak Glen (24-8) Saturday at 1 p.m. in a win-or-go-home scenario at the Suzan L. Smith Fields of Dreams Complex in New Manchester. They dropped a 3-1 verdict on Thursday. Should Wheeling Central win and force a deciding game, it would be played Monday, also in New Manchester, at 5 p.m. with that winner advancing to regional competition.

During the bit parade, the Maroon Knights only needed a home run to hit for the cycle as Josie Frizzell and Morgan Miehle had RBI singles; winning pitcher Olivia Kiaski had a run-scoring double and Sydney Hupp rapped a two-run double off the fence in left; while Maddie Miehle capped the outburst with a two-run triple to deep center.

Wheeling Central led 2-0 after one inning on an RBI double by Maddie Miehle and a run-producing single by Erin Maxwell. Maxwell’s two-run single highlighted a four-run second which bumped the margin to 6-0. Kiaski had an RBI double and the fourth tally scored on an error. All the runs came with two outs.

The Silver Knights attempted to rally with a single run in the third and three in the fourth to make it 6-4 before Wheeling Central sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.

Jaedyn Gump singled in Jahalia Gorrel in the third and Gorrell slugged a bases-clearing triple with two outs in the fourth to make it a two-run game.

Kiaski, who fired a one-hitter in the win on Wednesday, struck out four and walked a like number. She gave up four hits in throwing 95 pitches, of which 52 were strikes. After pounding the strike zone with the first-pitch two days prior, she only was ahead 0-1 on nine of 23 Silver Knights.

“I think it was beneficial to rest Josie today and have her rested for Saturday,” Davidson said of his ace, Frizzell, in the circle. “Plus, it gives Olivia a little bit of work in case she has to pitch here in the near future.”

Maddie Miehle missed the cycle herself by a home run as she drove in four runs and scored three times. Maxwell singled thrice, knocked in three and scored twice. Kiaski had two doubles.