Staff photo / Mason Cole. Canfield shows off the Division II regional championship trophy after edging Marlington 2-1.

MACEDONIA — It took a couple of miraculous plays for the Canfield Cardinals to succeed, but they got the job done all the same. The Cardinals were crowned OHSAA Division II regional champions as they defeated the Marlington Dukes 2-1 on Friday to advance to the state semifinals.

The Dukes got ahead early.

In the first inning, Emma Jackson hit a home run off of Cardinals starter Malena Toth to give the Dukes an early 1-0 lead.

Canfield head coach Michael Kernan took responsibility for Jackson’s home run.

“That home run was my pitch call,” he said. “She knew that wasn’t the pitch to throw, but she still threw it. I looked at her and said, ‘That was all me.’ Of all the pitches we threw in that sequence, we knew we shouldn’t have gone to that pitch, but we did.”

Toth, who committed to continuing her softball career at the University at Buffalo, has been a strong and steady force for Canfield all season. She refused to let the early home run shake her confidence.

“I knew there was a ton of game left, and I couldn’t get down on myself,” Toth said. “So, I had to just stay focused and forget about it.”

Toth shook off the mistake and pitched the rest of the game in dominating fashion, as she has all year. She hurled a complete game with 10 strikeouts. Toth said that her teammates helped her get back into her groove.

“My teammates had my back on defense, and they were getting hits,” Toth said. “I knew that they had my back, so it gave me confidence.”

Canfield did not trail for long. Sydney Lutz hit an RBI single to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning. The Cardinals knew that with the talent in their lineup, the runs would come.

“Our offense has probably been maxing out during the tournament,” Kernan said. “We knew Marlington had a great defense and a great pitcher, but I think we were confident in the fact that somewhere throughout our lineup we were going to work some runs in. I don’t think the kids ever lost focus or faith that we were coming back.”

Even with the strength in their lineup, the Cardinals needed some magic to take the lead. In the fifth inning, Canfield’s Jenna Triveri hit what seemed to be a routine single as she approached first base.

Then Marlington collapsed.

The Dukes’ throw to first base was off target, allowing Triveri to advance to second base. Then again, Marlington’s throw to second base was too high and bounced into the outfield as Triveri scrambled to third base. With another errant throw in the direction of third, Triveri rounded the corner and began an all-out sprint toward home plate. The Cardinals’ freshman crossed home in a cloud of dust, beating the throw and giving Canfield a 2-1 lead.

“Honestly nothing was going through my mind,” Triveri said. “I just got really excited, stepping on home plate, and being called safe and being with all my teammates, it was really exciting. Honestly, I was just expecting to get on base. Then errors happened, and it worked out for me.”

Canfield’s dugout was beaming after Triveri’s trip around the bases, but the game was not over yet.

In the sixth inning, Jackson and Audrey Miller both got on base for Marlington with no outs after a pair of throwing errors by the Cardinals. Toth retired the next two Marlington batters, but with runners at first base and second base, Marlington’s Ashlyn Maurer launched a ball into deep left field. Had it fallen, the Dukes could have scored both runners and retaken the lead. But Canfield’s Hailey Freedy made an improbable catch, running back towards the outfield wall and making a series of twists and turns before securing the fly ball and ending the inning.

“I see her turn her back and do a centerfield turn, 360, and then she turns around and still catches it,” Kernan said. “Everyone was jumping off of their seats, ecstatic.”

After Freedy’s wild catch, the Cardinals’ defense returned for the seventh inning and retired the ensuing trio of Marlington batters in order, punching their ticket to the state semifinals.

Canfield will travel to Firestone Stadium in Akron on June 1 to face either Steubenville or Chillicothe Unioto.

The Cardinals’ ultimate goal is within reach. Regardless of the opponent, Canfield will be confident with its depth and pitching.

“We know that with Malena Toth, she’s going to keep us in the majority of games,” Kernan said. “These kids are such great teammates, they’re always there for each other. We have 15 kids who could be playing, and they’re just great teammates and great kids.”

mcole@tribtoday.com