ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Wheeling Central head coach Todd Cover has said multiple times that his senior class deserves plenty of credit for ascending the Maroon Knights baseball program to where it is now. Tuesday, on Central’s Senior Day game against visiting Indian Creek, the Maroon sent those seniors out with a triumphant 14-3 victory over Creek inside the St. Clairsville Junior Sports Complex.

“This one’s pretty emotional,” Cover said about Senior Day. “Obviously, one of them’s my son, but the other five guys I’ve coached for a long time. It’s a very, very important class to me. And not only that, I think when these guys came in– I think four or five of them have been playing since their freshman year. So they’re not only talented, good kids, great students. They do it the right way. It’s a great class to have and, you know, we needed to send them out right, which I think we did.”

Central’s seniors are Kade Koroneos, Brayden Cover, Steven Brodegard, Koy Lipinski, Matt Criniti, and Wyatt Brady.

In what was a matchup between recent OVAC 3A champions (Central) and OVAC 4A runners-up (Creek), Indian Creek took an early 2-0 advantage after Adam Brothers and Luke McVicker each knocked in runs in the top of the first, but Wheeling Central’s offense was overwhelming. The Knights scored one run in the first inning, then three more in the second inning, before plating five runs in both the third and fourth innings.

Leadoff man Jake Brown had a banner day, driving in a game-high five runs while singling and homering. His long ball was a three-run shot in the second inning.

Brady Ernest also homered for Wheeling Central as part of a two-hit day of his own. His solo shot came in the third inning, where Clay Petry, Brayden Cover and Olen Ames all also drove in runners.

Ernest, Cover, Ames and Matt Criniti each finished with two RBI as Central finished with 11 hits as a team.

“We schedule teams like this to get us ready for tournament time,” Indian Creek head coach Mike Cottis said. “Wasn’t the outcome, obviously, that we wanted today, but I thought we had some good at-bats against some good pitching. We just couldn’t hold their offense down. They got some guys that can swing it, that’s for sure.”

While Brown and Ernest each had big days, Cover appreciated his whole lineup’s performance.

“I think the good thing about our lineup is, we knew we had eight people coming back, eight guys that have done it before or for multiple years. So it was finding that ninth hitter, and, you know, Matt has been good for us. OIen’s been good for us. You know, Trent [Lander]’s been good. So, I think we’re starting to come together now. We’re where we can put a lineup out there one through nine, anybody can do damage.

“Today it was the top of the lineup that did it, but that’s not to say the bottom lineup didn’t do anything because they got on base for them. To be a really good team and to be where we want to be, you have to be one through nine, and I think we’re getting to that point.”

Cover pitched into the fourth inning for Central, striking out three. Criniti took over in relief, pitching 1.1 innings and punching out one batter.

James Brothers and Adam Brothers each doubled for Indian Creek. Hunter Rusnak tripled. With five hits on the day, Creek had more multi-base hits than singles.

Adam Brothers, Max Lane and Dom DeGruttola combined on the mound for Creek.

Wheeling Central moved to 17-3 with the win. Indian Creek dropped to 16-4.