Williamstown catcher Wyatt Siley, right, shows the ball to the umpire after tagging out Wheeling Central’s Zayne Rosnick at the plate during Saturday’s regional baseball game. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

WILLIAMSTOWN — No matter how big the lead got Saturday at Legion Field, Wheeling Central head coach Todd Cover wasn’t going to be comfortable until the final out was secured.

When starting pitcher Steven Brodegard struck out Williamstown’s Parker Schramm to end the game and give the Maroon Knights a 10-1 victory, Cover could breathe a little easier.

“There was a lot of heartache last year, but I think it made us a little tougher for this year,” said Cover, reflecting on last year’s regional final loss to the Yellowjackets.

In that series, Central fell in three games after holding a 14-3 lead in a game 1 loss and a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning of a game 3 loss.

This time around, the Knights finished.

Williamstown’s Jenner Burge delivers a pitch during Saturday’s regional baseball game against Wheeling Central. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

“That was our motto all year — ‘Finish,'” Cover said.

Central captured the Class AA, Region I championship behind a valiant effort from Brodegard on the mound. The tall right-hander put together a complete-game three-hitter, allowing just two walks while striking out nine batters.

“Just a competitor,” Cover said. “Him and (game 1 starter) Brayden (Cover) both throw pretty hard. Both are in the upper 80s, may be able to touch 90 here or there. They’re bulldogs. They’ll go out there, no matter the situation, and just go right after guys. Make them hit the ball and make them beat you.”

Brodegard got in trouble one time in the game when Williamstown loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Up 6-0, Brodegard allowed just one run in the inning on Ty Ott’s fielder’s choice grounder. Everyone was safe on the play thanks to an errant throw to second, but Brodegard fanned Wyatt Powell and got Wyatt Siley to line out softly back to the mound. Brodegard snagged it in the air and let out a celebratory roar.

“He was able to throw strikes,” said Williamstown head coach Levi Maxwell. “The big thing with him, he kept the ball down. He did elevate some and we chased a few fastballs up in the zone. His pace was very good. When he got in trouble, he did throw what seemed like a get-me-over fastball, and we for whatever reason didn’t capitalize on that.”

Wheeling Central’s Steven Brodegard delivers a pitch during Saturday’s regional baseball game against Williamstown. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Central, which saw all nine batters collect at least one hit, added a four-spot in the seventh to make it 10-1. Brodegard then worked a perfect bottom of the seventh to nail it down and exorcise some demons for the Maroon Knights.

“Williamstown has a winning culture, as does Central, so it’s two winning programs,” coach Cover said. “To beat them on this field after what happened last year, it’s a little more special to our guys. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t. This is where we wanted to win it.”

Parker Schramm took the loss for Williamstown. He allowed six runs in five innings, walking one and striking out three. Jenner Burge pitched two innings of relief. He was charged with four runs allowed while walking one and fanning three.

Two-hole hitter Gary Hatfield led Central with three hits while No. 3 hitter Seth Cover and cleanup man Zayne Rosnick had two hits apiece.

It was the bottom part of the order, however, that did the most damage for the visitors.

No. 7 hitter Kade Koroneos got the scoring started in the second when his double to center field plated Rosnick. Eight-hole hitter Jake Brown followed with a towering fly ball to left field. The ball kept carrying and found its way over the fence for a two-run home run and a 3-0 Wheeling Central lead. No. 6 batter Brady Ernest later added a two-run triple while nine-hole hitter Luke Tiu doubled and scored a run.

“Our bottom of the order is really as good as our top,” coach Cover said. “I feel we have one of the best lineups in the state, and it’s 1 through 9. A lot of teams in high school will get 1 through 5, maybe a little deeper, but for us it’s 1 through 9. It’s not uncommon for the bottom of the order to come through and be big for us. Those guys could be batting first, second or third for a lot of teams.”

In the fifth inning, Koy Lipinski’s two-run double stretched Central’s advantage to 6-0.

“That’s a good team over there,” said Maxwell, whose club lost in the state championship game to Charleston Catholic a year ago. “They played very well today. The pitcher definitely threw well. They put the ball in play. The big thing here is, when we did have a chance to score some runs, we didn’t follow through like we normally do. But again, that’s a good team. They’re the No. 1 team in the state.”

Brody Bowyer singled twice for two of Williamstown’s three hits. Tyler Keiser was 1 for 3 and scored the ‘Jackets’ only run.

“It was a tough loss, but I’m still proud of our guys,” Maxwell said. “They definitely competed today.

“This senior class, I don’t know if there’s a more successful four years in the program’s history. All those guys had been to the state tournament a few times, and also been on teams that had won 20-plus games every year. They’re the type of guys that’s going to be tough to lose. They’ve done a lot for the program.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.