SCARBOROUGH — Ray Magnant, the softball coach at Biddeford High, says there is no secret to why Scarborough’s program continues to dominate Western Class A.

“They do all the little things right,” said Magnant. “And that’s what wins ballgames.”

Saturday afternoon the Tigers pushed Scarborough as few teams have this year, yet the Red Storm once again came out on top. Top-ranked and unbeaten Scarborough scored six runs in the third inning and then held on for a 6-5 victory over No.4 Biddeford in the Western Class A semifinals.

The victory lifted the Red Storm to 18-0 and into the Western Class A championship game for the ninth consecutive year. Scarborough will play No. 2 Thornton Academy in a rematch of last year’s regional final – won by the Trojans – Wednesday at St. Joseph’s College.

Biddeford, which finished 14-4, held a 2-0 lead – a home run by Abbie Paquette in the first and an RBI double by Paquette in the third – before the Scarborough offense came alive in the bottom of the third. The Red Storm got six of their 10 hits in that inning.

“That just shows how explosive we can be,” said Tom Griffin, coach of the Red Storm. “Once we get on a roll it’s scary.”

Winning pitcher Lilly Volk led off with Scarborough’s first hit off Tiger starter Kirsten Lebreux, a double off the left-field fence. No. 9 hitter Laura Powell followed with an RBI double to the left field corner. After an out, Maggie Murphy was hit by a pitch. Then Kaleigh Scoville singled to left, scoring Powell to tie the game.

After a double steal, Abby Murrell hit a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 Scarborough lead. Then Sophia Burnham doubled in Scoville and Magnant brought in Paquette in relief. Her second pitch was hit by Chloe Griffin for an RBI double and Chloe Gorey added an RBI single before Paquette got the last out.

“If one person gets a hit, we build off the momentum of that,” said Scoville.

Biddeford kept pushing back. A two-run single by Erin Martin with two outs in the sixth made it 6-5. That’s when Griffin brought in Murrell to pitch. She got out of that inning and then faced the Tigers 3-4-5 hitters in the seventh.

After a strikeout for the first out, she gave up a single to Brook Davis.

Jocelyn Moody then slashed a line drive toward right. Scoville, the first baseman, made a diving catch that carried her to the base, which she tagged for a game-ending double play.

“If that gets through, we’re tied,” said Magnant.

Instead, the Red Storm moved on.

CUMBERLAND — Yarmouth High pitcher Mari Cooper has played on the St. Joseph’s College softball diamond before, but Tuesday she’ll play the biggest game of her career there.

The fourth-ranked Clippers took early control and upset top-ranked Greely 7-0 in the Western Class B semifinals Saturday.

The win lifted Yarmouth (15-3) into a regional final for the first time since 1996, when it still played in Class C. Yarmouth will play seventh-ranked Fryeburg Academy at St. Joseph’s.

Greely (14-4) had beaten Yarmouth 12-2 on May 6.

“I can’t even explain (how it feels),” said Cooper. “I’ve never had this happy feeling in my life. I can’t even explain how happy I am.”

Yarmouth scored a run in the first inning on a bases-loaded walk, then two in the second on a bases-loaded walk and a throwing error. Greely’s pitchers combined to walk seven batters in the first two innings.

“It really set the tone,” said Greely Coach Rob Hale of Yarmouth’s first inning. “Although they only scored one (in the first), it put us on our heels right away.”

And the Rangers never recovered.

Cooper was a big reason, allowing two hits with two walks and six strikeouts, and Greely never had a runner reach second. Cooper got the final three outs on just four pitches, with second baseman Sydney St. Pierre ending the game with a nice catch on a line drive.

“Mari threw an amazing game,” said Yarmouth Coach Amy Ashley. “I mean, they’re a tough out. There’s no holes in (the batting order).”

Cooper also was backed by errorless defense for the second consecutive playoff game.

“That’s been huge,” said Cooper. “We’ve always kind of had the offense there but the defense has really stepped up.”

Greely freshman Kelsey Currier, who came in to pitch with two outs in the first, settled down – at one point she got five outs on five consecutive pitches – but the Clippers kept the pressure on throughout.

They scored twice in the fifth, loading the bases with one out on singles by Cooper, Cat Thompson and Eleanor O’Gorman. Michelle Robichaud followed with a two-run double to make it 5-0.

Cooper added a two-run single in the seventh to complete the scoring.

While the Clippers are still a young team, Ashley said, “I knew we had the potential. We still have more potential yet to be reached.”

GRAY — Fryeburg Academy softball coach Fred Apt said he tries to schedule several preseason games on the road just to get the Raiders accustomed for when they have to play away in the playoffs.

So far this tournament season, the strategy has paid off.

Fryeburg has won two playoff games on the road, and now the Raiders are headed to the Western Class B final at St. Joseph’s College at 7 p.m.

Lexi L’Heureux-Carland scored on a groundout after hitting a triple in the eighth inning Saturday morning, giving the seventh-seeded Raiders a 3-2 semifinal win over No. 6 Gray-New Gloucester.

After her triple to left-center with one out, L’Heureux-Carland had to wait three batters later to score. With runners on first and third and two outs, Kristina Hudson grounded to third and the Patriots (12-6) elected to throw home. L’Heureux collided with catcher Maria Valente, who had the ball in time, but it was jarred loose.

Unlike in baseball, runners in softball don’t have to slide at home.

Asked how a No. 7 seed could make it to the regional final, L’Heureux-Carland said: “We’ve worked hard in practice with a lot of hitting.”

Fryeburg Academy (13-6) knocked off No. 2 York in the quarterfinals, 4-0. The Raiders will play for the regional title against No. 4 Yarmouth, which upset top-ranked Greely, 7-0.

In the bottom of the eighth, Gray-New Gloucester pitcher Alie Martel led off with a single, but Fryeburg’s Nicole Bennett bore down to get the next three hitters in the heart of Gray-New Gloucester’s lineup. Kaelyn Woods, who tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth, lined out to right field to end it.

Woods appeared to score what would have been the winning run after her single in the sixth. Running to third, she came in contact with shortstop Kristen Chipman, who was attempting to field a ground ball. The ball deflected off Chipman’s glove, allowing Woods to score, but base umpire Dick Goan ruled interference by Woods.

Fryeburg didn’t score in the top of the seventh.

When asked about the play after the game, Goan said: “It was clearly interference. The runner brushed her.”

Fryeburg took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on MacKenzie Buzzell’s two-run single.

Gray-New Gloucester Coach Amanda Harmon said the interference call and the play at the plate were tough ones.

“Overall, we’ve had an amazing season.”

SACO — Keira Fitzgerald singled home Maize Lee with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and second-seeded Thornton Academy edged No. 6 Noble 5-4 in a Western Class A softball semifinal Saturday at Saco.

Tyler Chastney doubled home two runs to help stake Noble (12-7) to a 3-0 lead after four innings. But Libby Pomerleau doubled home two runs and eventually scored as Thornton (16-2) rallied for four runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

Mackenzie Aleva’s RBI single in the top of the sixth tied the game.

The Trojans will face top-ranked and undefeated Scarborough on Wednesday in the regional final – a rematch of last year’s championship game won by Thornton Academy.

GARDINER 7, OCEANSIDE 0: Kristal Smith allowed only a pair of bloop hits and Lauren Chadwick went 4 for 4 with a home run as the top-seeded Tigers (18-0) beat the fourth-seeded Mariners (15-4) in an Eastern Class B semifinal at Gardiner.

Chadwick’s home run opened the scoring in the third inning. She added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 2-0, and Gardiner added five runs in the sixth, aided by Lilly Chepke’s two-run homer.