BIDDEFORD — Ray Magnant, the first-year Biddeford High softball coach, knew his fourth-seeded Tigers’ Western Class A quarterfinal Wednesday against 12th-ranked Massabesic would be tough.

Not only had he spent the last three years coaching Massabesic, but the Mustangs were coming off an upset of No. 5 South Portland.

He was right, but the Tigers escaped, beating the Mustangs 3-2 at Doran Field on Jocelyn Moody’s walk-off single in the seventh inning.

Moody, a junior center fielder, had tied the game with a two-out single in the fifth.

“Biddeford’s known for coming back,” said Moody. “I had faith in us.”

Biddeford (14-3) will play Scarborough or Windham – who meet Thursday – in a semifinal Saturday.

This was tight throughout as Mustangs pitcher Sarah Guimond and Biddeford starter Kirsten Lebreux continually made big pitches.

The Tigers, who got an unearned run in the second, stranded six baserunners in the first four innings.

And Massabesic (7-11) took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Guimond and bases-loaded walk by Sarah Howe, but left the bases loaded in that inning.

In fact, the Mustangs left the bases loaded in each of the last three innings, with Lebreux getting out of the jam in the fifth, and reliever Abbie Paquette doing the same in the sixth and seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Massabesic got a one-out single by Alyssa Wardwell. After an out, Paquette walked two batters to load the bases, then ended the threat on a comebacker.

In the bottom of the inning, Lebreux led off with a single that landed on the line in short left field. She was replaced by pinch-runner Ailaina Keely. Paquette blooped another single to put runners on first and second. Massabesic Coach Kevin Tutt then intentionally walked Brook Davis – for the third time in the game – to load the bases.

“I’ve known that kid all her life,” said Tutt. “She’s a beast. Our game plan coming in was to not let Brook beat us. We stuck to it even though it was the bottom of the seventh.”

Magnant said, “I probably would have done the same.”

Moody then lined a 1-1 pitch into right-center field to score Keely with the game-ending run.

“I’m not thinking about anything but hitting it,” said Moody. “Stay calm, breathe, remember the fundamentals and try to hit it. Put it in play.”

It ended a superb game that proved seeding means little in the playoffs.

“We had kids who stepped up and played their (butts) off,” said Tutt.

“I told the kids that we were going to see a scrappy team,” said Magnant. “That’s a good team. I told them we had to come ready to play.”

The game was moved up one day because Massabesic is holding its graduation Thursday night.