HOLMES TOWNSHIP (Crawford County Now) — Under the threat of a thunderstorm, third-seeded Wynford made quick work in dispatching No. 6 seed Mansfield Christian, 10-0 in 5 innings, to win the Division VI sectional title here Wednesday night.

Junior pitcher Rylee Robinson struck out seven without issuing a walk. She allowed just three base hits for the Lady Royals in a game that lasted an hour and 8 minutes.

“We gotta start in the first inning. It worked out for us tonight, in the third inning. But moving forward we’ve got to go out in the first inning,” Wynford head coach Chelsea Rice said.

The Lady Royals plated a pair of runs in the second inning before opening up with seven in the third.

“I told them we gotta hit. Seeing the pitcher after one time through and you make your adjustments. It’s different for us. We don’t play Mansfield Christian. It’s a little different than the N10 pitchers we see,” she said.

“After the first inning I knew if we go weight back and drive through, we’re going to be OK.”

In the third, sophomore Lily Laipply and Robinson singled. A passed ball and a Mansfield Christian infield error helped the cause.

Wynford (12-8) plays the winner of New London/Western Reserve at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Shelby in a district semifinal game.

This marks the Lady Royals first district appearance since 2008.

Bailee Nelson took the loss and doubled, while Ayla Wilson and Emma Docherty singled to account for the Lady Flames hits.

Five hits gave Wynford a 9-0 lead after four innings as Laipply, Robinson, Brooke Frombaugh, Kate McGuire and Erin Wolfe all reached base.

Frombaugh and Laipply had three hits apiece. Makaila Morrison added a two-RBI double to left field in the fourth.

A single down the third base line by Frombaugh brought in Laipply with the final run.

“Our defense collapsed on our pitcher a little bit. We had a good scouting report on pitching,” Mansfield Christian head coach Kelly Taylor said.

“Wynford’s a good team. When they hit the ball, they hit the ball. Give them all the credit and I hope they go far.”

Rice said her team’s approach is taking it one-half inning at a time.

“When we’re on defense we want three outs. After that and we’re hitting, let’s just focus on hitting and work our way through.”

Wynford’s defense gave Robinson a solid showing behind her pitching.

“Tonight’s goal was to keep it as simple as we could for Rylee. She works in the circle every night.

“It’s easy with her team behind her. They were making plays tonight. Kate (McGuire) caught some. Lily (Laipply) is making stops and throwing them out. Rylee gets to do her thing, which is pitching.”

A sectional championship is the first step in the post-season journey.

“In my second year I’m happy about it and the girls are happy about it. Our team is very young. This team will be here the next two years, and we’re going to build and grow on that,” she said.

“We have a regular season game tomorrow with Buckeye (Central). They’re going to use this game as momentum.”

Taylor said her team played better than its 5-13 record indicates.

“We had five to six games where we lost by one or two runs. We’re a young team playing mostly freshmen and sophomores, a few juniors,” she said.

“About midway through the season we started communicating together and playing defense, we could feel it. And we said that switch is going to flip. Unfortunately, it stopped here.”

Box score

Mansfield Christian     000 00X X        0       3      2

Wynford                        002 71X X      10      9      0

WP: Rylee Robinson (7 SO, 0 W)

LP: Bailee Nelson (3 SO, 3 W)

HR: None.

Triples: None.

Doubles: (MC) Bailee Nelson; (W) Brooke Frombaugh, Makaila Morrison.

Multiple hits: (W) Brooke Frombaugh 3, Lily Laipply 3, Rylee Robinson.

Records: Mansfield Christian 5-12; Wynford 12-8.

Next: Berlin Hiland at Mansfield Christian, Friday; Wynford at Buckeye Central, Thursday.