WORCESTER >> English High felt the thrill last season of walking off the field at Polar Park with the program’s first state title.

The second-seeded Eagles came close to replicating that feeling Saturday, but instead were dealt a heartbreaking defeat by No. 1 Pioneer Valley.

English (21-6) took a one-run lead twice late in the game — once in the seventh inning after a three-run rally and then again in the eighth — but the Panthers weren’t going to be denied of a perfect 25-0 season as they clawed out a wild 6-5 walk-off win in eight innings to clinch the Division 5 state title.

“It was good to see my team fight, something that I’ve seen them do all season long,” English coach Christian Ortiz said. “We just couldn’t close the door at the end.”

Pioneer Valley pushed the winning run across the plate when Alex McClelland hit a sharp grounder to second with one out and the bases loaded. The throw came home but sailed over the head of the English catcher, allowing Jack Glazier, who had an RBI single to tie things up earlier in the inning, to score and give the Panthers their first state championship.

“That’s just the best feeling ever,” Glazier said. “To work back from being down, all the pressure on you, it feels so good.”

The Panthers were in a great position when they broke a 1-1 deadlock in the bottom of the sixth thanks to RBI singles from Ethan Mauthe and Evan Tsipenyuk. English didn’t flinch at the deficit with just three outs left in its season, though.

The Eagles walked five times in the top of the seventh and brought in runs on a fielder’s choice by Anyer Gomez, a sacrifice bunt by Matthew Guerrero, who got it down with two strikes on him, and a walk by Yeduary Soto to give English a 4-3 lead.

“I almost knew it was going to happen,” Ortiz said. “We’ve done it many times this year. I knew they weren’t going to give up.”

English got within one out of a second straight state title in the seventh but Jackson Campbell came all the way around from second to score on a slow rolling infield single that Mauthe hit to third base to force extras.

An infield single by Gomez put English back in front, 5-4, in the top of the eighth, but the Panthers just kept coming until they were the ones celebrating.

“It’s the best feeling in the world for these guys every time we can hit a walk off, especially in a state championship,” Pioneer Valley coach Kevin Luippold said. “A storybook couldn’t write it much better.”