Groton — Lest anyone attempt to cheapen the accomplishment, calling it “only” a division title, there was this Thursday from Arielle Cooper, who was won state high school softball championships at Fitch as a player and a coach:

“I think I’m going to burst an artery,” she said, moments after her team had turned a textbook 1-6-3 double play late in a scoreless, wondrous division title game.

And the blood was really pulsating through the coach’s arteries a little later, when junior Taylor Wolfgang tripled home Cassie Woods with the game’s lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning at Washington Park.

No. 1 Fitch edged Norwich Free Academy, 1-0, capping a classic duel between pitchers Caroline Taber (Fitch) and Beth Fleming (NFA) in which the Falcons clinched the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division title.

“When you’ve been knocked down in some of the games we have — in ECC championship and state championship (games), you learn to appreciate every win,” Taber said, after allowing two hits and being perfect through 4.2 innings. “Especially in eight innings for a division title over a really good team.”

Cooper: “Lately, we’ve been complacent, off in our own little egos. My chat with them (Wednesday) was about how (Thursday) would determine how we’d play the rest of the season. This showed we can be mentally tough. This is how good teams win.”

Fitch is 18-0, 10-0. The Wildcats are 15-4, 8-2.

The game-winning rally in the eighth was somewhat ironic for the Falcons, if not exciting. Cooper had, minutes earlier, offered a rather stern warning to her players about the next one of them who fails to bunt properly.

Cooper could have asked Wolfgang, up with Woods aboard and nobody out, to bunt. But didn’t.

“Nine times out of 10, Taylor is making contact there,” Cooper said. “I think she’s getting her groove back.”

Wolfgang’s groove has been derailed some by a stress fracture in her wrist.

“If Coop asked me to bunt, I would have been fine with it,” Wolfgang said. “But I think she has confidence in me.”

Wolfgang’s division winner went to deep right.

“This game meant a lot for a lot of reasons, but we have a good rivalry with NFA, too,” Wolfgang said. “Ever since they beat us in the ECCs (two years ago), the intensity is high whenever we play them. That game always comes to mind.”

Fitch can finish a perfect regular season by defeating East Granby at home on Monday. The ECC tournament begins the following day.

m.dimauro@theday.com