CLYDE — Championship teams survive their toughest moments, and on Thursday night, Margaretta Polar Bears did exactly that. Locked in a tense extra-inning battle with a determined Wynford Royals squad, the Polar Bears finally delivered the decisive blow when junior Lucy Edwards launched a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to secure a 4-2 victory in a Division VI district championship game at Joe Wilson Field. Margaretta, the tournament’s top seed, improved to 19-5 and advanced to next Wednesday’s regional semifinal at Bowling Green State University. The Polar Bears finished with nine hits and leaned on timely offense, clutch defense and another gritty outing from senior ace Cassidy Lane to capture the district title. Edwards provided the game’s defining moment. After Ellianna Young opened the bottom of the 10th with a single, Edwards stepped to the plate and crushed a pitch over the left-field fence, sending the Margaretta dugout racing onto the field in celebration. The homer was Edwards’ fifth of the season and capped a dominant finish at the plate. Over her final three at-bats, she recorded two singles, the game-winning home run and drove in three of Margaretta’s four runs. The Polar Bears needed every bit of that production against Wynford freshman pitcher Rylee Robinson, who kept Margaretta off balance throughout the night. Robinson struck out nine batters and repeatedly worked out of trouble to keep the Royals within striking distance. Wynford entered the district final with a 9-12 record but showed immediately it would not back down from the challenge. The Royals grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Kate McGuire delivered an RBI double and Robinson later added a run-scoring groundout to put Margaretta in an early deficit. Lane settled in from there. The senior right-hander worked all 10 innings in the circle, striking out 10 while scattering eight hits. She consistently escaped jams, including one of the game’s biggest moments in the eighth inning when Wynford loaded the bases with two outs. Lane fielded a sharply hit comebacker cleanly to end the threat and keep the game tied. Margaretta’s defense also played a major role in the victory. First baseman Isla Palomo made multiple key plays around the bag to prevent runs, while the Polar Bears avoided the costly mistakes that often decide extra-inning tournament games. Wynford threatened again in the fifth inning after putting runners on second and third with no outs, but failed to score. A controversial baserunning sequence at home plate erased a potential run and allowed Margaretta to escape the inning still trailing only 2-0. The Polar Bears finally broke through offensively in the bottom of the sixth. Lane reached on a fielder’s choice before Brooke Hastings ripped a double into scoring position. Palomo followed with a groundout that plated Lane and cut the deficit to 2-1. Margaretta completed the comeback an inning later. Speedy leadoff hitter Ellaynah Schaefer started the rally with a bouncing single that skipped over the third baseman’s head and rolled into left field. Schaefer aggressively advanced to second base, putting the tying run in scoring position. With two outs, Edwards lined a sharp single to right field to bring Schaefer home and force extra innings. The Polar Bears continued threatening throughout the late innings before finally breaking through in the 10th. Schaefer and Hastings each doubled for Margaretta, while Young added a hit and scored the winning run. McGuire paced Wynford with two doubles, and Lily Laippley collected two hits for the Royals. Margaretta moves on to the Sweet 16 and will now play the winner of Columbus Grove and Minster on Wednesday, May 27th at 2:00pm at Bowling Green State University! Wynford 002 000 000 0 — 2 8 2 Margaretta 000 001 100 2 — 4 9 1 WP — Cassidy Lane. LP — Rylee Robinson. 2B — Wynford: Kate McGuire 2, Ritzler; Margaretta: Ellaynah Schaefer, Brooke Hastings. HR — Margaretta: Lucy Edwards. BCSN INTERVIEW: Click Here BCSN Highlights: Click Here