Photo by Kim North Martins Ferry’s Makayla Cole (5) slides safely into second base as Wheeling Central’s Bella Rine awaits the throw during Tuesday’s softball game on Ben’s Field at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex in Elm Grove. Hustling to make the call is umpire Donnie Martin. The Purple Riders won, 5-2.

ELM GROVE — A pair of Ohio Valley Athletic Conference softball heavyweights met Tuesday on sunny Ben’s Field at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex in what could have been a preview of next week’s Class 3A Tournament.

Top-seeded Martins Ferry (16-1) continued its red-hot play with a 5-2 decision over No. 3 Wheeling Central (15-5). The victory was the 16th in a row for the Purple Riders and avenged a 9-1 loss to the Maroon Knights in last year’s OVAC championship game.

“Maddie did her job inside the circle and we played really well behind her,” veteran Martins Ferry head coach Jerry Magistro said. “We had that one error at the end where one girl called for the ball and the other didn’t hear her, but other than that, we played solid.”

Scoreless after two innings, Martins Ferry took the lead for good when Giana Chirpas belted a two-run double to the fence in right in the top of the third. The hit scored Maddie Lucas who was hit by a pitch and Makayla Cole who had reached on a bunt single.

Wheeling Central sliced the deficit in half in the bottom of the third as Trina Baker reached on a throwing error and came around on Ava Hanon’s double to the gap in right-center. However, the Maroon Knights couldn’t do more damage as Lucas retired the next three batters.

The Purple Riders scored solo runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to build a 5-1 lead as Keegan Brandon singled in Sam Goddard; Averi Hughes doubled home Chirpas and Keegan Brandon scored on a Cole single.

“We thought we could hit her,” Magistro said of Wheeling Central ace Josie Frizzell. “We got some key hits from some girls. Our bunters did what they had to do. We stole a base when we had to. Just an all-around effort by everyone.

“The Frizzell girl is a really good pitcher. She throws hard,” Magistro noted. “I have a lot of respect for that program.”

Wheeling Central, which wasted a leadoff double by Erin Maxwell in the second, made it 5-2 in the seventh when Chlope Groome singled to left with one out and raced around the bases on Trina Baker’s double to left. However, Baker was thrown out trying for third on a fine relay from Goddard to Grace Lucas to Addy Snedeker.

Maddie Lucas earned the win in the circle with half-a-dozen strikeouts. She did not walk a batter and scattered five hits. Chirpas supplied the offense with two singles and a double. Keegan Brandon singled twice.

“I was happy with the girls’ effort. They played hard,” Wheeling Central head coach Buck Davidson said. “We had just that one baserunning error there at the end, but other than that I thought we played a really good game. They got the hits and we didn’t.”

Frizzell suffered the loss. She struck out a dozen, didn’t walk a batter and gave up 11 hits.

Martins Ferry hosts Edison today, Barnesville on Thursday and Cambridge on Friday. Wheeling Central, meanwhile, heads to Barnesville today before hosting University on Thursday.