BETHANY — Wheeling Central placed itself in the catbird’s seat Thursday afternoon on the scenic campus of Bethany College.

The Maroon Knights — in the midst of an amazing season — pocketed the all-important opening game in the best-of-three WVSSAC Class AA Region 1 Tournament via a solid 5-1 nod over Williamstown.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the JB Chambers I-470 Complex but fell victim to rain. Due to ongoing wet grounds at the complex, the game was moved to Bethany College.

Coach Todd Cover’s top-seeded charges are now just one win away from punching their ticket into the state tournament. That clinching victory may come as early as Friday — weather permitting — as Williamstown hosts Game 2 in the best-of-3 series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

Should the second-seeded Yellowjackets survive, Central will host the third and deciding contest.

The Maroon Knights improved to an impressive 25-4, including the OVAC 3A championship. The Yellowjackets are now 20-9. Central defeated Williamstown twice in regular-season play.

The Maroon Knights put themselves in the driver’s seat thanks to a dominant pitching performance from Brayden Cover to go along with superb defensive play and timely hitting.

Cover was simply brilliant.

The talented right-hander went the route, yielding just three hits while fanning eight and walking just two. The lone Williamstown run came in the final frame.

“I felt really good today,” the young ace said. “I was happy with my control and command. It is big to win the opener in this series.”

Cover was supported by a 10-hit attack and an error-free defense. Cover’s older brother, Seth, delivered a booming bat, crushing a double and triple both off the base of the left-centerfield fence. The three-bagger plated two Knights.

“Pitching and defense have been our motto all year. Such was the case again today,” Todd Cover said. “Brayden pitched an excellent game. I wasn’t sure how long he could go because he is coming off a shoulder injury. He showed a lot of heart.

“Our bats took a while to heat up but once they did we did a nice job at the plate. Ten hits against a good pitcher is a productive day,” he added. “And defensively we made all the plays we needed to make.”

Ty Ott pitched fine in defeat for the Yellowjackets. He went the distance. He struck out two and walked one, holding the Knights scoreless over the first three innings.

Central tallied the game’s first run in the fourth. Zayne Rosnick rocketed a double to left-center and scored on a hard single to left off the bat of Koy Lipinski.

The Knights opened up some breathing room with three more runs in the fifth inning.

Jake Brown, who went 3-for-3 on the day, opened with a double. Luke Tiu followed with an infield single. Brown scored on Gary Hatfield’s RBI fielder’s choice. Seth Cover then unloaded his two-run triple.

Central made it 5-0 in the sixth. Lipinski doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on an RBI groundout from Brady Ernest.

Williamstown avoided the whitewashing with a pair of doubles in the seventh.

“We didn’t do the little things needed to win games,” Williamstown coach Levi Maxwell said. “We led off the game with a double and then did nothing with our bats until the seventh inning. That is unacceptable.

“I thought we pitched well enough but we didn’t produce at the plate. Give Cover credit. He pitched well,” he added. “We are now in a must-win situation. We will be ready to play.”

The Yellowjackets, like the Knights, did not commit an error.

“Winning the first game in this series is big. But we still have work to do,” Todd Cover said. “Williamstown is a quality team. I am sure we will get their best tomorrow (today).”

The Yellowjackets defeated Central in last year’s Class A regional tournament en route to a state runner-up finish.