Correspondent photos / Michael G. Taylor Canfield’s AJ Havrilla tries to corral a ball while Niles’ Michael Guarnieri runs on the base path.

STRUTHERS — For many, Monday’s game between Canfield and Niles was a battle between David and Goliath.

The Division II Struthers District semifinal at Cene Park turned out to have the same ending.

Eleventh-seeded Niles played the role of David, upending the top-seeded Cardinals, 4-3.

“It’s a big win,” Red Dragons coach Michael Guarnieri said. “There’s no getting around the fact that their aspirations were a state championship. But we feel like we work hard enough that we expect to be in these games and we expect to win these games. I was just very happy that our guys were able to finish the job tonight.”

Kolton Christopher, Michael Guarnieri Jr. and Matt Kozak each recorded two hits on the afternoon. Niles recorded nine hits as a team and made zero errors in the field.

Kozak manned the mound Monday, throwing a complete game, surrendering five hits and striking out five. Kozak also recorded two hits and had two RBIs.

“Our starting pitcher went the distance and he was just fantastic today,” Guarnieri said. “He just located real well and all his pitches were working today. He just really went out and controlled the game and controlled his nerves. He was fantastic today.”

Nerves were a big factor.

Some teams would fold going against the top seed in the district and the sixth-ranked team in Division II. Niles is not one of those teams however.

The Red Dragons were loose from the first pitch.

“Matthew, he’s been that way all year,” Guarnieri said. “I think he’s 8-1 now, he’s got a sub-1 ERA and he elevated his game for the moment. One of the nice things about our squad today was they played free, they played loose and they played like a team that believed that they could do what they just did.”

The Red Dragons weren’t afraid of Canfield whatsoever. In fact, the Cardinals’ ranking was just an afterthought.

The only thing on the team’s mind Monday was getting a win.

“We try not to get too caught up into the seedings, the social media world, or the different rankings,” Guarnieri said. “We try to have as much tunnel vision as possible. We pay attention to our work that’s in front of us. When you get to the district, you’re going to play some quality teams. It’s a grind to try to get through it. We were just really happy to come out with a win.”

With how the season has gone for Niles, they were just laying it all on the line. They battled injuries, illnesses and went 0-for-5 during a spring trip to Myrtle Beach. The team returned motivated and won the next 11 games. The only blemish on their record since returning home was a 4-1 loss to South Range, who is going to be battling for a district title of their own in Division III.

Going against area powerhouse Canfield was just another thing for them to overcome. That showed in their approach.

“It’s no secret how we like to play, we’re going to be really aggressive,” Guarnieri said. “This team has just battled all year. We battled a lot of adversity actually. A lot of injuries, a lot of illnesses. We got guys out of the lineup you know, we really just concentrated. I know it’s cliche, but we literally try to win every pitch and today we were fortunate that we won more pitches than Canfield.”

Things aren’t getting any easier for the Red Dragons in their quest for a district title. In the finals, fourth-seeded Chardon stands in their way. The Hilltoppers took down Mogadore Field 15-6 to advance.

“It’s a great program. They’ve had a lot of success over there,” Guarnieri said. “We don’t know a lot. We’ll start digging tomorrow, but when you get to this point in tournament play, you’ve got to pitch and you’ve got to throw strikes, you’ve got to play good defense and get those timely hits. Not that the opponent doesn’t matter, but you’ve got to take care of your business to have a shot. We’ll do what we can to get some intel on them and go from there.”