The Wheeling Central Maroon Knights mustered four runs while keeping the Monroe Central Seminoles offense on-ice in a 4-0 homestand victory.

The temperature might have affected the play on the field, but it was something both teams had to deal with.

“It slows the girls down, they get cold, they want to wear heavy jackets, they can’t move like they normally can,” Wheeling Central head coach Buck Davidson said. “It is what it is.”

“I told the girls before we started, the other team’s playing in the same weather,” Monroe Central head coach Paris Yoho said. “It’s not an excuse. The weather wasn’t a factor, not in my mind.”

Central’s Josie Frizzell had yet another dominant outing, striking out 17, allowing one hit and issuing one walk. Olivia Kiaski finished 3-3 with a solo home run, and the Knights moved to 7-2 on the season. Monroe Central moves to 4-4.

Frizzell struck out every batter in the Seminoles order the first time thru, and allowed two balls in play on Friday, a flyout and a seventh-inning double by leadoff batter Jadyn Miller.

“I think our girls had it in their heads before we even played the game, reading about [Frizzell] just got in their head,” Yoho said. “Didn’t want to face her I guess. Mentally, we were beaten when we got off the bus. I didn’t realize it until we started playing. We’re a better hitting team than that. Now she’s a great pitcher, I’m not taking anything from her. But I think we could play with them.”

Wheeling Central got on the board in the second inning after Kiaski drove the first pitch she saw up and over the left-center fence.

“Liv hit the ball very well today, I was proud of her,” Davidson said. “She went 3-3, had the big home run, hopefully she stays hitting.”

Three-hole hitter Maddie Miehle drove in two runs for Central, first bringing one around after hitting a double to left-center, and tallying another RBI on a groundout.

Central scored two runs on ground outs in the fifth inning, with Miehle and Bella Rine each bringing in runs despite making outs.

Wheeling Central left seven stranded on Friday, one every inning and two in the bottom of the sixth.

“I’m happy with the W, but we need some more timely hits when we have girls on-base,” Davidson said. “Other than that, we played well, made the plays when we had to make them. They only got one hit and that was a good hit, so I’m happy.”

Monroe Central’s Karlie Haslam struck out six for the Seminoles, pitching the whole game for her team.