North edged visiting Chardon in a Western Reserve Conference showdown on Wednesday, 1-0.

The Rangers broke the scoreless tie with one run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“That was our best game, and we didn’t hit well,” said North coach Matt McPeek. “We didn’t hit the way we need to hit, and we’re not going to get away with that the next time we play them, but we pulled it out. Neither team was really stroking the ball. They had four or five hits, but they were pretty spread out.”

Chardon threatened in the top of the first after Alexa Anderson’s two-out single and Savannah Murray’s walk, but the Rangers got out of that inning without giving up a run.

The Hilltoppers started the second with a McKenna Banville single, but again, the Rangers made the plays to strand that baserunner.

A leadoff walk to Maddy Ferrari in the bottom half of the inning gave the Rangers a chance, but Anderson struck out the next three batters to end the threat.

Chardon led off the third with a single, but that runner was caught trying to steal second, and another single from Emma Anderson increased the number of runners Chardon left on base.

Emma Anderson doubled with two outs in the fifth, but she was stranded on base.

The Rangers broke through in the sixth.

Ashley Sykes and Gianna Latini drew back-to-back one-out walks, and Brynne Smith followed with an RBI single.

“It was the best feeling,” Smith said of her game-winning hit. “It really showed all my hard work and how talking to yourself through at-bats is so important. I also just loved the energy we had throughout the whole game; we stayed up, and we were strong on defense, so it made it easier to attack on offense. I am really proud of myself and my team, and I can’t wait to continue our season on a strong note.”

The pressure mounted for Smith as she watched her teammates earn free passes.

“As soon as Gianna Latini walked, I knew my opportunity I’ve been wanting finally came,” she said. “Pressure will either make or break you, and I’ve been working on letting it motivate my at-bats. I was thinking about keeping my hands quick to the ball and leaving the high ones alone. With that, I knew changeups were in the mix too, and it was just my time. I had timed her up all game, and this was the perfect time because we had two on. I’m super excited about this win and can’t wait to get back at it tomorrow.”

Bailey Licht retired the Hilltoppers in order in the seventh to seal North’s win.

Licht allowed five hits and struck out three in seven scoreless innings of work.

“Bailey gives us a chance every time she’s in the circle, and she was on tonight,” McPeek said. “She had good spin and was changing velocities. Her fastball wasn’t as crisp and fast as it usually is, but she was throwing her off-speed slow enough to make a difference. She kept us in there, and our defense was really good.”

The Rangers improved to 4-5 overall and 2-0 in the WRC. They host Perry on Thursday.