By BUBBA KAPRAL

For The Intelligencer

MARTINS FERRY – All games are not created equal.

Both Martins Ferry and Wheeling Central posted thrilling OVAC semifinal wins Saturday afternoon.

The Purple Riders advanced to the 3A finals via a 2-1 nod over Fort Frye. The Maroon Knights, meanwhile, downed Shadyside by an identical score in a 2A semifinal. Thus, both will play for conference crowns Saturday at Edison.

As fate would have it, the two OVAC finalists met Monday in a regular-season contest in the Purple City with much less fanfare. Both teams rode the arms of their respective aces in the crucial Saturday games.

On Monday, Wheeling Central used strong efforts from the Brothers Toepfer to pull out a wild 10-9 win. The win was the seventh in 13 starts for coach Jason Rowe’s club.

Senior Michael Toepfer was the hitting star for the Maroon Knights, blasting a home run, triple and single, knocking in three runs. He also drew an intentional walk.

Sophomore Peyton Toepfer turned in a yeoman’s relief effort. He entered in the first frame with one out and the Purple Riders leading 5-0. He yielded just two runs in 5.2 innings of work to earn the mound triumph.

“Michael has a real nice night at the plate. He just needed a double to complete the cycle, ” Rowe offered. “Peyton was strong in relief. He helped us weather the storm.”

Ferry plated its five first-inning run on just one hit – that coming off the bat of Hayden Smith. However, the hosts made the most of four walks, a hit-batter and two wild pitches.

Central replicated Ferry’s first inning in its second, scoring five runs on just one hit – a two-run blast by Michael Toepfer. The home run was complemented by three base-on-balls and two Purple errors.

The hosts regained the lead with two runs in the second on two walks, a hit-batter and an error.

Central bounced back to forge an 8-7 lead in the fourth. Eli Turner and Braxton Billik singled before Gary Hatfield delivered an RBI double. Peyton Toepfer plated another run with a sacrifice fly. Michael Toepfer capped the frame with a run-scoring triple.

That score stood until a wild seventh inning.

Central stretched its lead to 10-7 on doubles by freshman dandy Seth Cover and Turner to go with two Purple errors.

Those two runs proved to be game-winners as Ferry scored a pair of runs in the home half of the seventh without netting a hit. Ayden Ludolph drew a one-out walk. After a strikeout, the next four Purple Riders were beaned, drawing the hosts to within one.

However, Central closer Peyton Hildebrand induced a popup to shortstop, ending the affair.

“It was a real nice win,” Rowe said. “Ferry is an excellent team and they have a great program here.

“We are playing at a high level right now,” he added. “We are a young team, starting three freshmen. The kids have been working hard and it shows.”

Ferry dropped to 9-3.

Central finished with 10 hits. The Purple Riders mustered just six.

“It was a bad baseball game. We played poorly,” Ferry head coach Anthony Reasbeck said. “Every time we get a big win we have a letdown. We are not a humble baseball team right now.

“I tell them every day that the mark of a man is picking up your lunch pale and going to work,” he added. “We did not to that day. It was a disappointing showing.”

Baron Lucy started on the mound for Ferry. He struck out one and walked four. Jackson Romshack came on in the second and fanned three and passed one in going the balance of the game.