Staff photo / Joel Whetzel Canfield pitcher Landon Beidelschies fires in a pitch during the Cardinals’ 3-2 walk-off victory over Boardman on Wednesday at Cene Park in Struthers.

STRUTHERS — After falling to Boardman in walk-off fashion early this season, Canfield had revenge in mind during the rematch.

The Cardinals got the vengeance they were seeking Wednesday, as a walk-off single from A.J. Havrilla capped a late-game rally as Canfield topped the Spartans, 3-2, at Cene Park.

“We definitely had this marked on the calendar since they beat us last time in the same fashion,” Havrilla said after the win. “So this was a big one to get out of the way, and we’ll continue to go into the playoffs with this momentum.”

Havrilla came to bat with two outs and Josh Juliano, who had singled earlier in the inning, on first. With the count at 1-2, Juliano stole second. Then, a couple pitches later, Havrilla shot a line drive into left field to score Juliano and give the Cardinals (15-3) the victory.

“I went down early with two strikes, so I had to fight,” Havrilla said. “(The pitcher) kind of left one up in the zone, so I had to just get the barrel out there and trust my talent. We did the job, so it was a good feeling.”

Boardman (9-10-1) had led 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth. Seth Cervello drove the first run in during the fourth inning on a sac-fly, and then Anthony Butto singled a run in during the top of the sixth.

Meanwhile, Spartan starter Gavin Hyde kept the Canfield offense at bay, scattering five hits across his five innings of work. He struck out six and walked two, and was charged with two earned runs.

“Gavin pitched a hell of a game,” said Boardman coach Joe Gabriel. “He’s our ace for a reason, and he did a great job all game. He kept those guys off balance the whole time, and did a great job for us.”

His pair of walks came in the bottom of the sixth, and wound up coming around to score after Hyde exited the game. Nate Shaw and Michael Patellis each singled to drive in the runs.

Canfield starter Landon Beidelschies was equally impressive. He gave up two runs — one earned — on five hits and a pair of walks across six innings of work. He fanned 12.

In relief, Jake Grdic worked a four-up, three-down top of the seventh, which included two strikeouts.

“That’s Landon — his composure is off the charts,” said Canfield coach Gary Knittle. “He had a lot of major league scouts here today looking at him, and the one thing is he’s composed. It doesn’t matter if things like a little bloop hit here or there happen; you’ll never see him get flustered. I kept telling him, ‘We’re going to get there. We’ll plate some for you, just keep us in it.’ He did a great job, and Jake Grdic, you have to tip your cap to him. He came in, threw strikes and kept us in the ballgame and allowed us to finish it off.”

With the postseason drawing near — sectionals begin May 16 — both teams are looking to finish the regular season with momentum.

“We’re still right in the conference, and there’s a ton of season left,” Gabriel said. “It’s one loss, so we’ll get right back to it tomorrow.”

Knittle concluded, “A game like this against a good Boardman team and a win absolutely propels us. We put our records in tonight, and we have our draw this weekend. Wherever the chips may fall, I think we’re ready.”