Photo Provided Wheeling Central's Olivia Kiaski throws a pitch Thursday during the Maroon Knights' WVSSAC Class A state playoff victory over Wahama.

SOUTH CHARLESTON — Going up against the No. 1 seed in the WVSSAC Class A State Softball Tournament, No. 4 Wheeling Central flipped the script and looked more the favorite than the underdog in a dominant 8-0, five-inning victory against the Falcons inside the confines of South Charleston’s Little Creek Park.

With the shutout victory, Wheeling Central moved to 2-0 in state tournament play, and secured a spot in Friday’s field. Central played a second game Thursday which saw a 10 p.m. first pitch and was not completed at press time.

Against Wahama, the Maroon Knights’s Olivia Kiaski had a throwback-type of outing, going without a strikeout all game but only allowing three hits and walking none, inducing plenty of light contact.

“The better we play defense, the better she pitches, without a doubt,” Wheeling Central head coach Buck Davidson said. “It helps her hit her spots, you hit the pitch she wants you to hit. She’s not going to groove you one down the middle of the plate. I’m really proud of her. She has stepped up in a big way these last two games for us.”

Bella Rine whacked a double and scored on an error in the first inning to open the scoring for Central. Rine finished with three hits and an RBI.

Central scored seven in the fifth inning on an impressive nine hits in the frame. The Maroon totaled 13 hits in the abbreviated tournament game.

Maddie Miehle and Berklee Heller each had two hits for the Knights.

“It’s been like that all year,” Davidson said of his offense. “Once one girl starts hitting and makes a little bit of noise, the rest of them jump in. It’s a really fun thing to watch when they all get going at the same time.”

Seneca Heller hit a two-run single in the fifth which brought Central’s lead up to 4-0 at the time.

Kiaski induced three straight groundouts in the bottom of the seventh to end things early.