WHEELING — The third time was definitely a charm for the Conotton Valley softball team Friday as it won a third consecutive OVAC Tom Bechtel Class 1A championship.

The top-seeded Rockets (18-2) did so by riding the left arm and bat of Masy Baker in a 10-0 blanking of No. 2 Frontier (10-7) on the soggy all-turf surface at Wheeling Park High School’s Patriot Field.

“They all feel pretty good,” Conotton Valley head coach Jeremy Bleininger said when asked if this one felt any better than the others. “It’s just an accomplishment to come here and compete.”

Baker, just a junior who has already verbally committed to NCAA Division I Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., not only sparkled inside the circle with a dozen punch outs, but she also homered in her third straight championship game.

The left-handed slugger highlighted a 5-run bottom of the fifth when she launched a 3-run blast well over the fence in deep left-center. Her circuit shot followed an RBI single by Chloe Stuber and preceded a solo shot off the bat of Maddie Kelley.

“We work a lot on our hitting. We did a lot of work off the tee this week, just working on fundamental stuff,” Bleininger noted. “We want to be able to adjust to what the pitcher is throwing or what the umpire is calling. I thought the girls did a good job of that tonight.”

With the surge of power, Conotton Valley quickly turned a 2-0 game into a 7-0 rout. The damage could’ve been worse as Delilah Williams lined a single off the fence, but Delaney Peters’ lined back to pitcher Kaylee Berentz who quickly fired to first to double up the runner and the Cougars got a nice catch in left by Savannah Offenberger to end the inning.

After giving up an infield single by Isabella Grayson to start the fifth, Baker struck out the next three Frontier hitters to end the inning.

She then capped a 3-run outburst in the home half of the fifth with an RBI single to right that scored Daphne Stuber with the game-ending run. Chloe Stuber drove in the previous two runs of the inning with her third single. She finished with three RBI, one behind Baker’s four.

Williams also collected three hits, two singles and a double.

“They started making contact and you know how hitting can give a team positive vibes,” Frontier head coach Eric Rinard said. “Hitting breeds hitting and they hit the ball really nice.”

Rinard said he was proud of his girls for attaining one of their goals.

“This was one of our goals to be in the championship,” he said. “I just wish we could’ve been on the other side, but we understand that someone has to win and someone has to lose. We’re not done yet. We’ve got a lot of softball ahead of us this season and in the postseason.”

Kate Congleton had the first hit off of Baker – a 2-out single over the shortstop’s head into left-center.

Baker faced just two batters over the minimum as the Cougars had a baserunner – following Baker’s only walk – thrown out attempting to steal second. Baker threw 74 pitches – 50 strikes – and went ahead 0-1 in the count on 13 of the 17 batters she faced.

“There is no doubt Masy is really good. She’s been good for our program but what makes her a real team player is she will help any of her teammates, be it the younger pitcher’s coming in or whatever. She shares her knowledge of the game and everyone kind of congregates to her for guidance.”

GAME NOTE

– The OVAC Class 4A championship game will be played at the Wheeling Park High School facility at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, with the site for the Class 2A, 3A and 5A games to be determined early Saturday.